The majority of hospitals around the country are facing Medicare penalties for the 2016 fiscal year for excess readmissions. They face payment cuts of up to three percent for the year which began on October 1, 2015 and runs through September 30, 2016. The District of Columbia ranks among the top ten states for the highest percentage of hospitals being penalized. Seventy-eight percent of the District’s hospitals are facing cuts this year. New Jersey topped the list with 97 percent, followed by Connecticut at 90 percent.

The District of Columbia hospitals facing Medicare penalties include:

  • Children’s Hospital NMC
  • George Washington University Hospital
  • Howard University Hospital
  • MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
  • MedStar Washington Hospital Center
  • Providence Hospital
  • Sibley Memorial Hospital
  • United Medical Center
  • Washington DC VA Medical Center

The Hospitals Readmissions Reduction Program

In an effort to make hospitals pay closer attention to their patients after they are discharged, the Affordable Care Act established the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. In its fourth year, the program has issued payment cuts to 2,592 hospitals for 2016.

The fines are based on the number of readmissions between July 2011 and June 2014. They include Medicare patients who were originally hospitalized for one of five conditions: elective hip or knee replacements, chronic lung problems, pneumonia, heart failure or heart attack.

Since the start of the program, national readmission rates have dropped. However, approximately one out of five Medicare patients sent to the hospital are readmitted within a month. The Washington, D.C., medical malpractice lawyers at Goldberg Finnegan are dedicated to defending the rights of patients who have suffered from medical, surgical or prescription errors. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.