Medicare fines over hospitals' readmitted patients

(AP)—Medicare is changing the way it does business with hospitals and the result could be fewer patients going back into the hospital after they were discharged.

As of Monday, Medicare starts imposing financial penalties on hospitals that have too many patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge because of complications.

The government estimates that about two-thirds of hospitals serving —some 2,200 facilities nationally—will be hit with penalties averaging around $125,000 per facility this coming year.

plans to post details online later in October. Consumers will be able to look up how their performed.

Hospitals have scrambled to prepare for well over a year. They're working on ways to improve communication with rehab centers and doctors in their communities.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Citation: Medicare fines over hospitals' readmitted patients (2012, September 30) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-medicare-fines-hospitals-readmitted-patients.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Hospital readmission rates linked to availability of care, socioeconomics

 shares

Feedback to editors