Health News
When hospitals start getting paid based on the perceived quality of care they provide to their Medicare and Medicaid patients, so-called "safety net" hospitals, a last resort for the poor, could be the losers in the equation. That's because a main way of measuring quality will be patient experience ratings, and safety-net hospitals tend to get poorer marks from patients, according ta new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Since hospitals have had to publicly report their patient experience ratings, the gap between how patients rated these facilities and the scores that other hospitals got widened. "We found that [safety-net hospitals] performed more poorly than other hospitals on nearly every measure of patient experience and that gaps in performance were sizeable and persistent over time," the authors write.
When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agency starts using the scores to hand out bonuses and penalties, safety-net hospitals could be at a disadvantage, especially since penalties could mean a 2 percent cut on regular Medicare payments. Starting in October, patient experience scores will determine 30 percent of a facility's bonus. "The hospitals that perform best will gain money, while those that lag in scores and improvement over time will end up with less," reports Jordan Rau for Kaiser Health News. (Read more)
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Health News
Safety-net hospitals could get hit hardest in Oct. when patient ratings will influence Medicare and Medicaid payments
When hospitals start getting paid based on the perceived quality of care they provide to their Medicare and Medicaid patients, so-called "safety net" hospitals, a last resort for the poor, could be the losers in the equation. That's because a main way of measuring quality will be patient experience ratings, and safety-net hospitals tend to get poorer marks from patients, according ta new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.Since hospitals have had to publicly report their patient experience ratings, the gap between how patients rated these facilities and the scores that other hospitals got widened. "We found that [safety-net hospitals] performed more poorly than other hospitals on nearly every measure of patient experience and that gaps in performance were sizeable and persistent over time," the authors write.
When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agency starts using the scores to hand out bonuses and penalties, safety-net hospitals could be at a disadvantage, especially since penalties could mean a 2 percent cut on regular Medicare payments. Starting in October, patient experience scores will determine 30 percent of a facility's bonus. "The hospitals that perform best will gain money, while those that lag in scores and improvement over time will end up with less," reports Jordan Rau for Kaiser Health News. (Read more)
- Most Kentucky Hospitals Did Average Or Better In New Patient Satisfaction Ratings; Seven Got Top Rating And Six Got Bottom Rating
Most of the Kentucky hospitals that were rated on a newly released five-star scale for patient satisfaction got three and four stars. Seven of them got a five-star rating and six got a two-star rating, the lowest rating given to any of the Kentucky hospitals...
- Consumer Reports Rates Hospitals On Safety, Puts Somerset Hospital Last In Kentucky; Hospital Blames Its Incomplete Data
Consumer Reports magazine recently released safety rankings for hospitals across the country, compiled from government data. Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta, Maine, received the best safety rating in the U.S., a 78 on a scale of 100....
- Kentucky Hospitals Score Mostly Bs And Cs On Hospital Safety Scorecard; Most In U.s. Earned An A Or B
In an analysis of the nation's hospitals and their safety records, many of Kentucky's health care facilities have some shortcomings. A study by the Leapfrog Group finds that the vast majority of the state's hospitals score a B or C in overall...
- Electronic Health Records Are Helping Nurses Provide Better Care, Big Study Finds
Electronic health records are helping nurses get better health outcomes and are improving nursing care, the first big study on the subject has found. The study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing involved 16,000 nurses at 316...
- Small, Rural Hospitals With 'critical Access' Designation Have Poorer Patient Outcomes And Lower Quality Of Care, Study Finds
A study has found that small, rural hospitals with the "critical access" designation have poorer patient outcomes and lower quality of care. The analysis, performed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, focused on nearly 1,300 critical...