As a Texas medical malpractice lawyer, I have been alarmed at how often I see situations where a patient is injured while in the hospital. Patients go into the hospital to receive healthcare, but end up developing infections, bedsores and other types of injuries caused by poor doctor and hospital care.
The federal government realized that these medical and hospital errors were costing Medicare and Medicaid lots of extra money. As a result, the Affordable Care Act started the Hospital-Acquired Condition Program, which monitors infection and injury rates and hits the worst-performing hospitals where they feel it: their pocketbooks.
Each year, the Department of Health and Human Services identifies the 25 percent of hospitals with the worst performance on its list of quality measures. In 2016, 769 hospitals nationwide made this undesirable list, including 61 in Texas alone—you will probably recognize some of them. The complete list is below.
The penalized hospitals on this annual list are hit with Medicare and Medicaid funding cuts for failing to make the cut on quality measures that include:
Pressure ulcer (bedsore) rate: These typically develop from a hospital providing the wrong type of bed, and nurses failing to turn patients regularly and using techniques to preserve skin integrity.
Iatrogenic pneumothorax rate: This is an abnormal collection of air around the lung, often caused by improper handling of a needle or catheter.
Central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection rate: This is often caused by poor technique during placement of a catheter, or a lack of monitoring it for signs of contamination or infection.
Postoperative hip fracture rate: These usually happen when doctors and nurses do not take precautions to help prevent a patient from falling.
Perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis rate: These blood clots most often develop when a patient is bedridden and the healthcare providers do not take preventive measures, like anti-clotting medication, assisting with walking and using compression stockings.
Postoperative sepsis rate: Nurses and doctors must be alert for the early signs of infections, to avoid development of the blood-born infection sepsis.
Postoperative wound dehiscence rate: This means a closed surgical incision or wound that it stitched up, but comes back open. These often develop with poor surgical technique, but also when the wound is not inspected regularly and treated, as needed.
Accidental puncture or laceration rate: This happens when a doctor or nurse makes and intended puncture or cut on a patient.
In 2017, there will be one more quality measure, for the first time: The rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is very often hospital-acquired, from the use of contaminated, non-sterile equipment or supplies.
If you or someone you care for has been harmed by these types of hospital errors, contact the Houston-based medical malpractice lawyers at Painter Law Firm for a complimentary consultation about your potential case.
Fiscal Year 2017 Hospital Acquired Conditions Reduction Program List
AMARILLO
Baptist St. Anthony’s Hospital
ARANSAS PASS
Care Regional Medical Center
ARLINGTON
Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital
AUSTIN
St. David’s South Austin Medical Center
University Medical Center at Brackenridge
BEAUMONT
Baptist Beaumont Hospital
BROWNSVILLE
Valley Regional Medical Center
BRYAN
The Physicians Centre
CAMERON
Little River Healthcare Cameron Hospital
CARROLLTON
Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Carrollton
COLLEGE STATION
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – College Station
CONROE
Aspire Behavioral Health of Conroe, LLC
CORPUS CHRISTI
Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi Medical Center
CUERO
Cuero Community Hospital
DALLAS
Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital
Baylor University Medical Center
Methodist Charlton Medical Center
Parkland Health and Hospital System
UT Southwestern University Hospital of Dallas
DENTON
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
The Heart Hospital Baylor
EL CAMPO
El Campo Memorial Hospital
EL PASO
University Medical Center of El Paso
FLORESVILLE
Connally Memorial Medical Center
FORT WORTH
Baylor Scott and White All Saints Medical Center
JPS Health Network
Medical Center of Alliance
Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth
FRISCO
Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Centennial
GRAND PRAIRIE
Texas General Hospital
GRAPEVINE
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Grapevine
HAMILTON
Hamilton General Hospital
HEREFORD
Hereford Regional Medical Center
HOUSTON
CHI St. Luke’s Health Baylor College of Medicine
Doctors Hospital Tidwell
Hopebridge Hospital
Methodist Hospital
St. Luke’s Hospital at the Vintage
Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center
IRVING
Baylor Medical Center at Irving
KINGSVILLE
Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg
LEVELLAND
Covenant Hospital Levelland
LUBBOCK
Lubbock Heart Hospital LP
MIDLAND
Midland Memorial Hospital
MISSION
Mission Regional Medical Center
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS
North Hills Hospital
PASADENA
Bayshore Medical Center
PLANO
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano
ROUND ROCK
Seton Medical Center Williamson
SAN ANTONIO
Christus Santa Rosa Hospital
Methodist Stone Oak Hospital
Nix Health Care System
Southwest General Hospital
University Health System
SEYMOUR
Seymour Hospital
SHENANDOAH
AD Hospital East, LLC
Emil J Freireich Cancer Center
SUGAR LAND
Sugar Land Surgical Hospital LLP
THE WOODLANDS
St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital
TEXARKANA
Wadley Regional Medical Center
