MA hospitals begin reporting on falls

Massachusetts' 70 acute care hospitals have begun reporting patient fall rates by individual hospitals, making it one of the first states to disclose hospital-specific data of this kind. The reporting program is voluntary, but all of the state's acute care facilities agreed to participate--along with nine rehab and long-term-care hospitals. This may be, in part, because hospitals are bracing themselves for next year, when Medicare will stop paying hospitals to treat complications from falls. 

The data, which was published on the Massachusetts Hospital Association Website, showed that 4,573 patient falls took place from October 2006 through March 2007, including 1,005 falls in which patients were injured.

To learn more about the disclosures:
- read this article from The Boston Globe

Related Articles:
Many MA hospitals waive charges for errors. Report
By 2008, Medicare won't pay for hospital errors. Report
Other payors may follow CMS's 'no pay' lead. Report
Business says 'no pay' for major mistakes. Report
Study: Wrong-site surgeries, close calls are common. Report