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More than 2,200 hospitals face penalties under ObamaCare rules
A provision of ObamaCare is set to punish roughly two-thirds of U.S. hospitals evaluated by Medicare starting this fall over high readmission rates, according to an analysis by Kaiser Health News.
Starting in October, Medicare will reduce reimbursements to hospitals with high 30-day readmission rates — which refers to patients who return within a month — by as much as 1 percent. The maximum penalty increases to 2 percent the following year and 3 percent in 2014.
Doctors are concerned the penalty is unfair, since sometimes they have to accept patients more than once in a brief period of time but could be penalized for doing so — even for accepting seniors who are sick.
“Among patients with heart failure, hospitals that have higher readmission rates actually have lower mortality rates,” said Sunil Kripalani, MD, a professor with Vanderbilt University Medical Center who studies hospital readmissions. “So, which would we rather have — a hospital readmission or a death?”
But according to federal government figures, nearly one in five Medicare patients is readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of release, costing taxpayers an estimated $17.5 billion.
“Readmissions has been a low-hanging fruit for Medicare,” said Jordan Rau, a staff writer with KHN, an editorially independent program of the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “They’ve been very unhappy that about 2 million Medicare beneficiaries are being readmitted every year between 30 days of discharge.”
Pickled Liver
August 24th, 2012
“So, which would we rather have — a hospital readmission or a death?”
According to Obamacare the answer is “Death” !
Chalupa
August 24th, 2012
When you’re in your last few months of life, you need all the medical attention possible. This will lead to countless early deaths.
dba...vagabond trader
August 24th, 2012
Plenty more where this came from.
Welcome to Death Panel 1™
Nutjob
August 24th, 2012
Hospital readmission isn’t the issue…its the cost.
So hospitals are now sending patients to rehab centers for more then 30 days and getting them back in 31 days…..briliant. Lets not let the hospiotals help them, lets penalize them send them home sick where their conditions worsen and the cost escalate even more on the return trip.
Hospitals are already changing the admit forms and diagnosis to counter it knowing they won’t get paid and have complete departments to oversee it.
dba...vagabond trader
August 24th, 2012
As a former healthcare professional I’m curious about long term care. Haven’t seen anything; how it is going to be subsidized for those unable to afford the huge expense. Or perhaps there is a connection to these back and forth hospital admissions? 3 admits in 3 months and you go to the advisory board?
Maudie N Mandeville
August 24th, 2012
Who cares, It’s FREE! Our voter’s don’t care about the truth. Why are you bringing this up? Where’s Debbie when we need a quick refutation?
She doesn’t even need to know what the topic is.
old_oaks
August 24th, 2012
@ dba…vagabond trader – I have a grandmother in an exclusive nursing home in AZ. She’s going on 95 and it IS NOT the way she wanted to go out, but she knows nothing these days. I feel horrible about the situation, but it is what it is. We go x-country as much as we can and last time we were there, I had to sign off on her move to a new wing at the facility.
WHY? Are they building more anticipating more patients due to baby boomers?
NOPE. Just the opposite they expect a decline in this care because 1) changes in decision making for end of life care 2) boomers have seen their parents in such facilities and will not go that route 3) elderly suicides are up, especially suicides that leave maximum benefit for surviving family.
So they are reducing the number of rooms/staff/etc.
And yes reason #1 is the biggest factor, they anticipate the care people receive under government programs will take away the need for this type of extended end of life care.
Team TEA
August 24th, 2012
“So, which would we rather have — a hospital readmission or a death?”
I think we all know the answer to that: readmissions can’t “vote early, vote often, vote Democrat”
dba...vagabond trader
August 24th, 2012
@old_oaks:
It is a distressing situation to be in that none of us can anticipate, we do our best. We had the same thing with my FIL, very painful. I’m glad your Mom is in a decent place during her time of need.
No surprise our suspicions are correct. Decreased numbers via attrition, aka rationed care.
Stranded in Sonoma
August 24th, 2012
So this will force hospitals to turn patients away. I thought the doctors took an oath to do no harm. Sorry! That oath if for the doctors, not the politicians!
Never mind.
Mark Zist
August 24th, 2012
Punitive legislation is one way to improve statistics.