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Monday, June 9, 2008 - 1:32 PM EDT
NY's Medicaid program to stop paying for hospital blunders
The Business Review (Albany)

This October, the New York state Medicaid program will stop paying hospitals for what it calls "never events."

The state has listed 14 avoidable hospital complications and errors for which reimbursement will be denied. These include surgery performed on the wrong body part; surgery performed on the wrong patient; medication errors; blood incompatibility; patient disability from burns, restraints or electric shock; and foreign objects being left, inadvertently, in a patient after surgery.

Dr. Richard Daines, the state Health Commissioner, said the federal government is in the process of initiating a similar program for Medicare.

"Reforming Medicaid's hospital payment system is a key initiative in New York," Daines said. "Reform isn't solely about balance sheets. Quality of care and patient safety are paramount. This policy change will improve the value of Medicaid's payment for hospital patients who receive acute care and provide further incentives for hospitals and clinicians to improve the quality and safety of inpatient care."

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The state has listed 14 avoidable hospital complications and errors for which reimbursement will be denied. These include surgery performed on the wrong body part; surgery performed on the wrong patient; medication errors; blood incompatibility; patient disability from burns, restraints or electric shock; and foreign objects being left, inadvertently, in a patient after surgery.