Virginia Business Coalition on Health Issues Statement of Support for Hospital I...( Through Reforms Initiated by CMS Orga...),Health

Through Reforms Initiated by CMS Organizes Program to Educate Health Care Stakeholders

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Business Coalition on Health (VBCH) announced its continued commitment to improving patient safety through payment reform efforts initiated by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that no longer pay for specific "Never Events" - serious and costly preventable hospital errors. Effective October 1, 2008, Medicare will no longer provide hospital reimbursement for twelve preventable hospital­acquired conditions and errors that occur after admission, and VBCH supports this policy and is working with private and public payers in the local community to encourage adoption of this non­payment policy.

Eileen Ciccotelli, Vice President of the VBCH, and Regional Roll­out Leader in Virginia for The Leapfrog Group, has been working with hospitals to improve adherence to Never Events policies and HACs, which are publicly reported at the www.leapfroggroup.org/cp web page. "As of data through October 31, 2008, 15 Virginia hospitals that voluntarily submit quality data are fully meeting this 'Never Events Leap.' Many health plans operating in Virginia are already instituting a non­payment policy for HACs or 'Never Events'."

VBCH invites employers and other VBCH member­stakeholders to convene in Richmond on Thursday, December 4th for a program entitled, "Never Events and the Impact on Health Care Stakeholder"? registration information can be found at the VBCH website:

http://myvbch.org/2008WinterBusinessRoundtable.php

About Virginia Business Coalition on Health

The Virginia Business Coalition on Health (VBCH) is a non­profit, 501(c)(3), founded in 198
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