Jordan Rau

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jrau@kff.org

Hospital-Acquired Condition Penalties By State

KFF Health News Original

Medicare is reducing payments to 721 hospitals with high rates of infections or other medical complications. About 1,400 hospitals, including all in Maryland, are excluded from the program and Medicare did not assess their rates of patient harm.

721 Hospitals Penalized For Patient Safety

KFF Health News Original

Medicare is penalizing 721 hospitals with high rates of potentially avoidable mistakes that can harm patients, known as “hospital-acquired conditions.” Penalized hospitals will have their Medicare payments reduced by 1 percent over the fiscal year that runs from October 2014 through September 2015. To determine penalties, Medicare evaluated three types of HACs. One is central-line associated bloodstream infections, or CLABSIs. The second is catheter-associated urinary tract infections, or CAUTIs. The final one, Serious Complications, is based on eight types of injuries, including blood clots, bed sores and falls. Here are the hospitals that are being penalized:

More Competition Helps Restrain Premiums In Federal Health Marketplace

KFF Health News Original

In counties that are adding at least one insurer next year, average premiums for the least expensive silver plan are rising 1 percent on average, compared to 7 percent in counties where the number of insurers is not changing, KHN analysis finds.

Hospitals Struggle To Beat Back Serious Infections

KFF Health News Original

KHN reporter Jordan Rau spoke on NPR about data that say about 75,000 patients per year die from infections they got in the hospital. Nearly 700 hospitals around the U.S. have higher than expected infection rates.

Hospitals’ Struggles To Beat Back Familiar Infections Began Before Ebola Arrived

KFF Health News Original

Each year about 75,000 patients die from infections they caught in the hospital. A KHN analysis of federal data shows that nearly 700 hospitals have higher than expected rates of infection for at least one condition.

One-Quarter Of ACOs Save Enough Money To Earn Bonuses

KFF Health News Original

About a quarter of the 243 groups of hospitals and doctors that banded together as accountable care organizations under the Affordable Care Act saved Medicare enough money to earn bonuses, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Tuesday. Those 64 ACOs earned a combined $445 million in bonuses, the agency said. Medicare saved $372 […]

CDC Survey Finds Drop In Uninsured

KFF Health News Original

This KHN story can be republished for free. (details) UPDATED AT 12:10 P.M. The federal government’s first survey of the nation’s insured rate since the health care law’s new marketplaces began found a decrease in the number of adults without coverage, particularly among young adults. The National Health Interview Survey of people during the first […]

First Look At Medicare Quality Incentive Program Finds Little Benefit

KFF Health News Original

One of Medicare’s attempts to improve medical quality –by rewarding or penalizing hospitals — did not lead to improvements in the first nine months of the program, a study has found. The quality program, known as Hospital Value-Based Purchasing, is a pillar of the federal health law’s campaign to use the government’s financial muscle to […]

Unfavorable Views Of Health Law Spike In July: Poll

KFF Health News Original

The health law’s unpopularity among the public rose sharply in July with a surge of disapproval from people who had been agnostic about it in recent months, a poll released Friday shows. The law is as unpopular as it has been since it was enacted four years ago. The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation […]

In Unhealthy Eastern Tennessee, Limited Patient Options Bring Some Of The Country’s Cheapest Premiums

KFF Health News Original

Chattanooga’s success in achieving bargain-priced policies offers valuable lessons for other parts of the country as they seek to satisfy consumers with insurance networks that limit their choices of doctors and hospitals.