KS Blue plan stops paying for preventable errors

Another health plan has announced that it will stop paying for complications arising from preventable errors by hospitals. This time, it's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, which stands as the state's largest non-profit health plan with about 900,000 beneficiaries. As of October 1, the plan will stop reimbursing hospitals for complications resulting from several conditions, including air embolisms introduced during surgery, objects left inside a patient during surgery, use of wrong blood type, pressure ulcers and infections from central vein catheters. But these could change: Executives said that they'll probably modify their list of non-reimbursable events as CMS does so.

While the new policy may force some hospitals to make changes in their financial policies, some hospitals are already on board with this approach. For example, the University of Kansas Hospital, HCA Midwest Health System and Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics have said that they support the Blue plan's initiative.

To learn more about this approach:
- read this Kansas City Business Journal article

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