MA insurance will no longer pay for medical mistakes
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
June 25, 2008
Health authorities in Massachusetts announced June 19 that hospitals and doctors will no longer be able to bill insurance for costs related to healthcare mistakes, reports The Boston Globe. The state government and Blue Cross/Blue Shield say the added pressure will help healthcare providers to improve the quality of care patients receive. No other state has this kind of policy in place.
A 2006 study published by the journal Health Affairs stated the extra cost of treating preventable healthcare preventable infections ranged from $700 dollars to $9,000 dollars per case. In the first five months of 2008, 70 such preventable errors were reported to the state. In October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will no longer pay for a list of eight preventable conditions.
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