Hospitals save $105M by reducing complications, rewarding quality

Hospitals in Maryland saved more than $105 million during the past two years by cutting infections and other hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), following the recent success of Michigan hospitals, which saved $8.6 million during the past year.

Overall, Maryland hospitals saw HACs, including shock, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, gastrointestinal complications, urinary tract infection, and renal failure, drop by 20 percent between fiscal years 2010 and 2011, reported the Baltimore Business Journal yesterday.

The state's Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) requires hospitals to report on 49 different patient complications.

While the Department of Health & Human Services will begin its pay-for-performance initiative in fiscal 2013, Maryland asked the federal agency for permission to continue financially rewarding its hospitals for their performance and developing the state's quality-of-care and pay-for-performance programs, HSCRC Interim Executive Director Stephen Ports told the Baltimore Business Journal.

Earlier this year, Maryland hospitals reported higher levels of adverse events, discovering that better reporting on patient care and safety issues reveals more events at healthcare facilities.

For more information:
- read the Baltimore Business Journal article