Medicare will continue to report hospital safety data as usual next year after the program, apparently swayed by backlash from patient safety advocates, reversed course on its plan to keep some information under wraps.
Medicare revealed its change of heart in its final hospital payment rule for 2023, released Monday. Months ago in a preliminary version of the rule, regulators said the safety data in question would be so skewed by the Covid-19 pandemic, it wouldn’t be useful to patients. Advocates pushed back, arguing it was more important than ever to get the full picture on hospital safety, especially since there’s clear evidence it has taken a beating during the pandemic.
Hospitals had championed keeping the data secret, and they aren’t thrilled about the reversal. The American Hospital Association warned in a statement Monday evening that the decision could mislead the public and fail to advance patient safety.
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