When You Have Been Injured,Your Attorney's Experience Matters

Medicare Fines Hundreds Of Hospitals For Patient Safety Violations: Did Your Hospital Make The List?

On Behalf of | Mar 16, 2016 | Medical Malpractice

No one expects that getting treatment for a medical problem could actually
worsen your health—and they shouldn’t! No one should ever
have to worry that seeing a doctor could put their health at risk. Sadly,
however, the Centers for Disease Control estimate that one out of every
25 patients being cared for in a hospital has at least one healthcare-associated
infection.

This alarming statistic is one of the reasons the Affordable Care Act required
that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implement a
program to increase patient safety. This CMS program, in addition to setting
Medicare payment standards for patients, also establishes a rule specifically
targeted to reduce healthcare-associated conditions (HAC).

The HAC Reduction Program states that if a hospital is found to have high
rates of HAC incidents it will be financially penalized in terms of the
Medicare payments it will receive. This program went into effect on October
1, 2014, and the CMS has already penalized over 700 hospitals.

Northern Virginia and D.C. Hospitals Penalized for HAC

Medicare evaluated all U.S. hospitals for avoidable mistakes such as central-line
associated bloodstream infections, catheter-related urinary tract infections
and serious complications like blood clots, bed sores, and falls. In the
first year,
721 hospitals were found to have unacceptable rates of HAC. Eleven of these hospitals are in the greater Northern Virginia/D.C. area,
including:

  • Culpeper Regional Hospital (Culpeper)
  • Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church)
  • Riverside Tappahannock Hospital (Tappahannock)
  • Stafford Hospital (Stafford)
  • VCU Health System (Richmond)
  • Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center (Mechanicsville)
  • George Washington University Hospital (D.C.)
  • Medstar Georgetown University Hospital (D.C.)
  • Medstar Washington Hospital Center (D.C.)
  • Providence Hospital (D.C.)
  • Sibley Memorial Hospital (D.C.)

Penalties Aren’t Enough When You Suffer the Consequences of Their Actions

If your healthcare provider is on this list, and you believe you have suffered
as a result of negligence or improper care, you may be entitled to medical
malpractice damages. Although these hospitals have been penalized and
publicly reprimanded, you’re still suffering the consequences of
their mistakes. Is that fair? We don’t think so.

Contact us for a free consultation and review of your case. No one should
ever have to experience an HAC, but if you have, you deserve to be compensated.
Call today to see how we can help you pursue a malpractice injury claim.
Remember, it’s up to you to make sure your hospital takes responsibility.

Need more information about your medical rights? Please feel free to download
our free report:
Medical Negligence: Your Rights in the District of Columbia You’ll not only learn more about your rights and claim options,
but you’ll also see how our knowledge and experience can help you
get the justice you deserve.

Categories

Archives