SC Medicaid plans to stop paying for errors

Another plan has joined the "no pay for errors" parade: This time, it's South Carolina's Medicaid program, which covers about 800,000 South Carolinians. Officials with the program say that they won't stop making such payments to hospitals right away, however, as they have some technical questions to address before stopping such payments. The South Carolina Hospital Association has already adopted principles encouraging hospitals not to bill for certain mistakes, but participation is voluntary.

In making such a decision, the South Carolina Medicaid plan is joining a growing list of its health plan peers, including the New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Medicaid plans, Medicare, CIGNA, Aetna and a number of Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates. Meanwhile, hospitals in nearly half of states have agreed not to bill for never events.

To learn more about this decision:
- read this piece from the Associated Press

Related Articles:
By 2008, Medicare won't pay for hospital errors
Business say 'no pay' for major mistakes
PA hospitals won't charge for 'never events'
CIGNA stops paying for its list of never events

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