Editor's Note
Data from the Affordable Care Act’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) shows that Medicare cut payments to 2,583 hospitals on October 1 because of the number of patients readmitted within a month, the October 1 Kaiser Health News reports.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that the penalties will cost hospitals $563 million over a year’s time.
Of 3,129 general hospitals evaluated in HRRP, 83% received a penalty, and 56 hospitals were assessed the maximum reduction in payments of 3%.
Though CMS began applying the penalties in 2012, disagreements continue on whether they have improved patient safety.
