Medicare to stop paying for mistakes caused by hospitals
By Debra Pressey
Tuesday September 2, 2008
URBANA – Nobody goes to the hospital expecting to get sicker.
But mistakes can happen.
A patient falls out of bed and gets hurt. An infection can set in after surgery. Bedsores can worsen.
Currently, Medicare picks up the tab for the conditions patients acquire while they're in the hospital – things that could have been prevented, such as injuries from falls and surgery-site infections.
But starting Oct. 1, hospitals will have to absorb those extra costs. And they won't be allowed to bill the patients for them, either.
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