Government to Release Data on Hospital-Acquired Conditions
As reported in USA Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers the Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP programs, will now make data regarding certain “hospital-acquired conditions” available on its website (www.cms.gov). These are adverse conditions that develop while a patient is in the hospital. This information had previously been publicly available. However, last year CMS limited its availability and, more recently, it was removed from the CMS website completely. Now, CMS states that it will again begin publishing this data and will make it available for public use.
“Hospital-acquired conditions” include the following:
- Foreign Object Retained After Surgery
- Air Embolism
- Blood Incompatibility
- Stage III and IV Pressure Ulcers
- Falls and Trauma
- Manifestations of Poor Glycemic Control
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection
- Vascular Catheter-Associated Infection
- Surgical Site Infection, Mediastinitis, Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
- Surgical Site Infection Following Bariatric Surgery for Obesity
- Surgical Site Infection Following Certain Orthopedic Procedures
- Surgical Site Infection Following Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device
- Deep Vein Thrombosis/Pulmonary Embolism Following Certain Orthopedic Procedures
- Iatrogenic Pneumothorax with Venous Catheterization
If you or a loved one have developed a hospital-acquired condition, or have otherwise been the victim of medical negligence, contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Stark & Stark.