Medicare Eases Up On Readmissions Penalties For Hospitals Serving The Poor
“But starting next month, lawmakers mandated that Medicare take into account a long-standing complaint from safety-net hospitals. They have argued that their patients are more likely to suffer complications after leaving the hospital through no fault of the institutions, but rather because they cannot afford medications or don’t have regular doctors to monitor their recoveries. The Medicare sanctions have been especially painful for this class of hospitals, which often struggles to stay afloat because so many of their patients carry low-paying insurance or none at all.”