Medicare cuts payment to Meadville Medical Center for 2018
All of the hospitals penalized will receive a 1 percent reduction in Medicare payments for 2018, said
"We get about
The penalties were created four years ago under the federal Affordable Care Act as a program to be a financial incentive for hospitals to avoid infections and other mishaps, such as blood clots and bedsores.
The penalty imposed on
"We were developing monitor procedures and protocol (for the program) at that time," Suntay said.
As part of the protocols and procedures developed by MMC, the hospital purchased several hospital air mattresses, Suntay said.
Hospital air mattresses specifically are designed for individuals prone to bed sores or pressure ulcers, such as elderly individuals or bedridden patients. The mattresses function by evenly distributing the weight of a patient.
How the penalty will be imposed and how
"We're in negotiations," Suntay said of the penalty.
The hospital gets Medicare reimbursement monthly, but it's currently unknown if the Medicare payment reduction will be done monthly, quarterly or as a one-time charge, Suntay said.
To make up the revenue lost by the penalty, the hospital is looking at various maintenance contracts coming due -- everything from equipment to laundry -- as a way to reduce expenses, he said.
An analysis by
"The hospital industry faults them as unfairly punishing hospitals that treat sicker patients and those that do a better job of identifying infections and other patient complications,"
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