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Did Medicare fine your local hospital for patient safety?


Medicare penalized hospitals with high rates of preventable medical errors that can harm patients, known as “hospital-acquired conditions.” Penalized hospitals had their Medicare payments reduced by 1 percent over the fiscal year that runs from October 2014 through September 2015. To determine penalties, Medicare ranked hospitals 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, for three types of HACs. The HACs were central-line associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and serious complications based on eight types of injuries including blood clots, bed sores and falls. Hospitals with a total HAC score (a weighted average of the three HACs with a slight emphasis on serious complications) above 7 were penalized. Related story →

Hospital-acquired conditions in Florida

Nearly 20 percent of Florida hospitals were penalized for scoring worse (above 7) in their total HAC score than Medicare's standard. The HAC Florida hospitals were most likely to score better in (7 or less) was catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Select a bar to see its breakdown

Hospital-acquired condition
Hospital ratings
Applicable hospitals
Central line
157
Serious complications
166
Cathether
161
Total HAC score
166

Hospital-by-hospital rating

Nationally, 22 percent of hospitals were penalized. In Florida, 19 percent of hospitals were penalized. In Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties, 24 percent were penalized. In South Florida, Broward Health Coral Springs scored the worst with a total HAC score of 9.3, and Westchester General Hospital scored the best with 1.35.

Select a hospital (or its dot on the map) to see its ratings

Hospitals with a total HAC score above 7 were penalized 1% of their Medicare payments; hospitals at or below 7 received no penalty

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    Better
    (scored 7 or less)
    Worse
    (scored above 7)

    Note Serious complications data were collected between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2013. The rest were collected between Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2013. About 1,400 hospitals are exempt from penalties because they provide specialized treatments such as psychiatry and rehabilitation or because they cater to a particular type of patient such as children and veterans. Small “critical access hospitals” that are mostly located in rural areas are also exempt. Source Miami Herald analysis of data compiled by the Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services. Produced by Kara Dapena; Follow @MHhealth for health news from South Florida and around the nation. This digital interactive feature was produced in collaboration with Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.