WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) will halt annual payment increases to about 1,500 hospitals if they fail to meet its treatment quality criteria, reports FierceHealthcare. Reimbursement increases for hospitals in 14 states that serve WellPoint's Blue Cross Blue Shield plans will be tied to a 51-indicator test. WellPoint intends to use the new, mandatory system to save the health insurer and the overall healthcare industry money, says WellPoint's Chief Medical Officer Samuel Nussbaum. He added that the system could decelerate its inpatient care spending by three to five percentage points annually over time. Article