26 Wisconsin Hospitals May Be Penalized For High Infection Rates

Some Wisconsin hospitals could face federal penalties for high rates of infections.

Under a preliminary report released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS), 26 Wisconsin hospitals would have their Medicare payments reduced by 1 percent under the new penalties that are part of the federal Affordable Care Act.

CMS assessed hospitals’ rates of infections in patients with catheters and other injuries like bed sores and blood clots.

Susan Sanford-Ring, vice president of quality and patient safety at University of Wisconsin Health, says that UW Hospital could face as much as a $1 million penalty. However, she stressed that the report is preliminary and that the hospital has programs in place that have been lowering their rates of infection.

“Obviously, when you are a big hospital that cares for really sick patients, some of whom are sedated and have catheters in a long time, that is one of the contributing factors for urinary tract infections,” said Sanford-Ring. “We are working to get those catheters out as soon as possible.“

The final results will likely vary from the preliminary report, as they will include more recent data.