Hospitals are still trying to get their head around new Medicare rules that will ban reimbursement [1] for certain "preventable" conditions by late 2008. And that's enough to absorb for now.

The truth is, however, CMS's decision could be just the beginning. With Medicare blazing the trail, Medicaid is likely to quickly follow, as are private payors.  In Pennsylvania, for example, where error reduction is a major part of the state's reform efforts, officials already are saying Medicare's decision could trigger changes in their Medicaid program's payment policy. And private health plans, already under pressure from some employers not to cover preventable illness, will have a good excuse to follow suit.

To learn more about this trend:
- read this Philadelphia Inquirer article [2]

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