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Hospitals To Be Fined For Medicare Re-Admissions

Medicare is going to start fining hospitals that have too many patients re-admitted within 30 days of discharge due to complications.  The penalties are part of a broader push under President Barack Obama's health care law to improve quality while also trying to save taxpayers money.  For now, hospitals are only being measured on three medical conditions: heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia.  

Jacksonville's Passavant Area Hospital CEO Chester Wynn says they have misgivings about being held liable for circumstances beyond their control.  He says it's a good theory but probably won't be implemented right away.  For the first year, the penalty is capped at one percent of a hospital's Medicare payments.  The overwhelming majority of penalized facilities will pay less.  Under the health care law, the penalties will gradually rise until three percent of Medicare payments to hospitals are at risk.  Passavant was one of 16 in Illinois that did not receive a re-admission penalty.

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