Medicare wants to stop paying for avoidable injuries in hospitals and several major private insurance companies are expected to follow the lead. Denying payment for such injuries (listed below) will raise a red flag for patients, letting them know that at least some of the hospitalization came from hospital error. The avoidable injuries being targeted include:
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
- Bed sores.
- Objects left in after surgery.
- Air embolism, or bubbles, in bloodstream from injection.
- Patients given incompatible blood type.
- Bloodstream staph infection.
- Ventilator-associated pneumonia.
- Vascular-catheter-associated infection.
- Gastrointestinal infections.
- Drug-resistant staph infection.
- Surgical site infections.
- Wrong surgery.
- Falls.
The proposed regulations are open for comment and are planned to take effect in October 2008. (www.medlaw.com, May 30, 2007)
Hospital Negligence + Medical Malpractice
