Enhanced recovery protocols are allowing providers to discharge patients more quickly without additional complications or readmissions.
It is easy to understand why someone thought that all tubes used in a particular setting should be interchangeable: It would be cheaper to manufacture and easier for someone getting a necessary piece of equipment to grab what was needed and not have to worry whether the male part would fit the female.
Would you give your physicians a $19 million bonus? What if you knew doing so would save you $113 million, cut your length of stay and improve quality? Thats what a group of New Jersey hospitals did as part of a pilot program for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It was so successful that the group applied for, and was granted, permission to continue the project on a larger scale.
Last year, a 1.25% reduction in hospital costs by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fed the quality bonuses at hospitals more than 600 received something for their efforts, while more than 700 lost something for their perceived lack of it. This year, the bonus pool is being funded by a 1.5% decrease in costs, estimated to be some $1.4 billion up for grabs.
