The Centers for Disease Control said more than 1.5 million people get infections while they are in the hospital. As part of a program through the Affordable Care Act, hospitals that receive Medicare money will be hit with a penalty if they have too many people get sick while seeking treatment.
A report in the Houston Chronicle pointed us to a Texas Tribune article that says 58 Texas hospitals could get lower Medicare payments this fall because their “rate of preventable infections or conditions are higher than at peer hospitals.”
Harris County had around a dozen hospitals make it on the list, with several in the Houston area.
According to the Tribune article, the scores for the low-performing hospitals are still a work in progress.
Local hospitals included Westbury Community Hospital, Llc, 5556 Gasmer Dr., Doctors Hospital Tidwell, 510 W Tidwell Road, Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center
10655 Steepletop Drive, and St Lukes Lakeside Hospital 17400 St Lukes Way, in The Woodlands, among others.
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2014.
