Watch What Hospitals Do With MRSA

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This is not unexpected. What wascalled MRSA for infections acquired by patients while in the hospitalhas now been termed HAIs (hospital acquired infections). I like thetitle given to the article in Medscape, “MedicareReimbursement Change Spurs Prevention, Work-Arounds.” Work-aroundsis what we can expect from hospitals so that they will be reimbursedfor something Medicare has deemed non-reimbursable.
Approximately half of the hospitalsparticipating in a report published in the May issue of the AmericanJournal of Infection Control increased their attention of howsuch infections (HAIs) were coded for billing. Instead of doingincreasing measurers to prevent HAIs, coding for other billableinfections was where they paid attention. It is no wonder thatpeople are concerned about hospital safety since the hospitals careonly about the profits they can accumulate.
I quote from the article, “"Ourfindings were generally positive, suggesting the policies have lednot only to an enhanced focus on targeted HAIs with greater effortstoward surveillance and education but also to changes in practicefrom front-line staff as reported by infection preventionists,"the authors write.
However, the results also includepersuasive evidence of hospitals "gaming the system,"according to Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, director of the ArmstrongInstitute for Patient Safety and Quality and Johns Hopkins MedicineSenior Vice President for Patient Safety and Quality, Baltimore,Maryland.”
It is disturbing as a patient to seestatements like “gaming the system.” This means that the codingis apparently working for them to obtain reimbursements they wouldotherwise be denied by Medicare. Read the article in Medscape here.
I will now get into another even moredisturbing aspect that this causing. I had intended on writing aboutthis from another perspective. However, this does explain why thehospitals have through the American Hospital Association, sent aformal letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicesasking that delays be granted in meeting the “Meaningful Use”criteria that is scheduled to begin later this year.
The “Meaningful Use” came intoexistence as apart of a government program (theAmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA))in which billions of dollars were set aside to aidmedical providers shift from paper records to electronic records. When the providers could prove they had reached certain stages ofmeaningful use, they would receive reimbursement from the governmentto cover the expense of implementation.
During stage one of meaningful useproviders needed to demonstrate that an interface was in place sopatients could access their own medical records, via the internet,securely and privately. For hospitals, that access needed to beprovided within four days of a patient's discharge. Read the AHAcommunication here in a PDF file.
Now that it is almost ready for stagetwo (starts Jan 2013), patients have asked for quicker access,meaning within at least 24 hours for theirs, their spouses, or theirchildrens records. We want to know what took happened, with whom,and how it happened. This is important if post discharge problemsoccur and we want to discern where the problems may have arisen fromand who may be responsible. However, the American HospitalAssociation if attempting to delay these provisions and has asked fora 30 day limit for patient access. The AHA also wants three yearsto each stage instead of the two years currently mandated.
Fortunately, it is easy to figure outwhy they want the 30 day window. They want the extra time to“doctor” the records to “game the system”, prevent thingsfrom being available to the patients, and thus their lawyers, forevents that should have been reported, but weren't. They need timeto hide these and more. Yes, the hospitals are nefarious formisdirection and covering up what should have been reported. This iswhy when you are hospitalized, if you are able, record everything, orhave another family member record what they observe. Hospitals counton this not happening because they know most patients do not havethis mind-set.
Hospitals also need the time to recodeand balance bill. They are sure to increase a number here and therefor items seldom, if ever counted. Hospitals also have become adeptat changing a coding number to get more money than should be charged. Therefore, if they deliver the records to you as soon as you aredischarged, they will not have time to make all the changes theywant. Plus an event that needs to be hidden may be in plain site. If by chance, the AHA request for 30 days is denied, you may end upin the hospital for a day or two more than normal while they adjustyour records. Excuses for additional time in the hospital can beeasily fabricated. Remember, the profit margin needs to be met foreach patient as well as preventing future problems from your records.
Read the article here by Trisha Torrey. Then follow the links provided by here to others that are pointingout problems. I must also encourage you to read this blog from TheHealth Care Blog. This also takes you to other blogs that you shouldread.  Carefully follow the link to the letter from Trisha's blog.  I admit I cannot get it to work for me otherwise.
If you do not follow Regina Holliday, she has a lot to sayabout the current disaster in our hospitals and obtaining the medicalrecords for her deceased husband. Her situation should make youdesire to take action. Read these three blogs by Regina, one, two,and three.
If it takes some time to read all this,then you should have had time to consider your course of action. Ihave sent my emails to my congressional people.