The Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute Announces 2008/2009 Annual Risk Management Confere...( New Medicaid and Medicare Rules ...),Health

New Medicaid and Medicare Rules Highlighted; a Focus on Preventing

Hospital-acquired Conditions

LANSING, Mich., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute (RM&PSI), a national leader in clinical risk management practice and patient safety programs for health care institutions and providers, today announced the dates and focus for its annual risk management conference.

The conference will take place Sept. 17-19, 2008 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Mich., and again on April 27-28, 2009 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. This year's focus, "Don't Risk Financial Security: Preventing Hospital-acquired Conditions," will help health care institutions understand and prepare for the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) "preventable conditions" reimbursement rules that go into effect later this year.

Adverse events in health care are among the leading causes of death and injury in the United States, and health care institutions are facing increasing scrutiny around hospital-acquired conditions. In October 2008, CMS will begin withholding payment for eight preventable hospital-acquired conditions, including certain types of infection, pressure sores and blood transfusion errors. This list is expected to expand during the next several years, and a number of private payers are also following suit.

As the link between quality of care and financial reimbursement grows, so will implications for today's health care provider. The RM&PSI conference will arm attendees with information regarding the stricter payment policies, and provide suggestions on techniques and strategies to address CMS's preventable conditions and adverse events.

"There is a growing emphasis on quality and patient safety in today's health care environments," said Karol Wareck, group vice president of The RM&PSI. "Hospitals aren't quite sure how this new reimbursement structure and ot
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