As a Houston, Texas medical malpractice attorney, I continuously review quality of care and adverse incident information that comes available for Texas hospitals.
One of the most comprehensive sources is released annually as a part of the federal Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. The program began in 2014, and aims to give hospitals financial incentives to improve care.
The program reviews and considers:
Infection rates from a number of procedures including colon surgeries, hysterectomies, urinary tract catheters, and central line tubes.
Infection rates of certain bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C-diff).
Rates of 10 hospital-acquired injuries including blood clots (perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis), sepsis, post-surgical wound ruptures (wound dehiscence), bed sores (pressure or decubitus ulcers), hip fractures, iatrogenic pneumothorax, perioperative hemorrhage or hematoma, postoperative acute kidney injury requiring dialysis, postoperative respiratory failure, unrecognized accidental punctures or lacerations of the abdomen/pelvic area.
Under the program, general hospitals ranking in the bottom 25% nationwide for these factors are penalized with a one percent reduction in Medicare payments for each patient’s stay. Psychiatric, veterans, children’s, and critical access (the only hospital in an area) hospitals are excluded from the program.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced penalties for 751 hospitals. Of that number, 425 hospitals were also penalized last year. The Texas hospitals subject to the one percent Medicare penalty for 2017-2018 include:
Ad Hospital East, LLC
Houston, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Altus Baytown Hospital
Baytown, Texas
Aspire Behavioral Health of Conroe, LLC
Conroe, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital
Dallas, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano
Plano, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Grapevine
Grapevine, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Christus Santa Rosa Hospital
San Antonio, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Cleveland Emergency Hospital
Cleveland, Texas
Connally Memorial Medical Center
Floresville, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Cook Children’s Northeast Hospital, LLC
Hurst, Texas
The Corpus Christi Medical Center
Corpus Christi, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Covenant Hospital Levelland
Levelland, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Cuero Community Hospital
Cuero, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
El Campo Memorial Hospital
El Campo, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Emil J Freireich Cancer Center
Shenandoah, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Faith Community Hospital
Jacksboro, Texas
Grace Medical Center
Lubbock, Texas
Harris Health System (includes Ben Taub, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Quentin Mease hospitals)
Houston, Texas
Huntsville Memorial Hospital
Huntsville, Texas
Longview Regional Medical Center
Longview, Texas
Lubbock Heart Hospital LP
Lubbock, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Medical City Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
Mansfield, Texas
North Texas Medical Center
Gainesville, Texas
Northwest Texas Hospital
Amarillo, Texas
Paris Regional Medical Center
Paris, Texas
Parkland Health and Hospital System
Dallas, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Pearland Medical Center
Pearland, Texas
The Physicians Centre
Bryan, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Scott & White Hospital Brenham
Brenham, Texas
Seton Medical Center Harker Heights
Harker Heights, Texas
Seton Medical Center Hays
Kyle, Texas
South Texas Regional Medical Center
Jourdanton, Texas
Southwest General Hospital
San Antonio, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
St. Joseph Medical Center
Houston, Texas
St Luke's Sugar Land Hospital
Sugar Land, Texas
St Luke's The Woodlands Hospital
The Woodlands, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Stephens Memorial Hospital
Breckenridge, Texas
Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital
Arlington, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen
Allen, Texas
Texoma Medical Center
Denison, Texas
The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano
Plano, Texas
Titus Regional Medical Center
Mount Pleasant, Texas
United Memorial Medical Center
Houston, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
University Health System
San Antonio, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
University Medical Center of El Paso
El Paso, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Valley Regional Medical Center
Brownsville, Texas
Also penalized in 2016-2017.
Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center
Sherman, Texas
Wise Regional Health System
Decatur, Texas
