Feature News

Through Reforms Initiated by CMS Organizes Program to Educate Health Care Stakeholders

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Business Coalition on Health (VBCH) announced its continued commitment to improving patient safety through payment reform efforts initiated by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that no longer pay for specific "Never Events" - serious and costly preventable hospital errors. Effective October 1, 2008, Medicare will no longer provide hospital reimbursement for twelve preventable hospital­acquired conditions and errors that occur after admission, and VBCH supports this policy and is working with private and public payers in the local community to encourage adoption of this non­payment policy.

Eileen Ciccotelli, Vice President of the VBCH, and Regional Roll­out Leader in Virginia for The Leapfrog Group, has been working with hospitals to improve adherence to Never Events policies and HACs, which are publicly reported at the www.leapfroggroup.org/cp web page. "As of data through October 31, 2008, 15 Virginia hospitals that voluntarily submit quality data are fully meeting this 'Never Events Leap.' Many health plans operating in Virginia are already instituting a non­payment policy for HACs or 'Never Events'."

VBCH invites employers and other VBCH member­stakeholders to convene in Richmond on Thursday, December 4th for a program entitled, "Never Events and the Impact on Health Care Stakeholder"? registration information can be found at the VBCH website:

http://myvbch.org/2008WinterBusinessRoundtable.php

About Virginia Business Coalition on Health

The Virginia Business Coalition on Health (VBCH) is a non­profit, 501(c)(3), founded in 1983 under the name of the Hampton Roads Health Coalition. It has since expanded Virginia­wide. VBCH is a member of the National Business Coalition on Health, is a Leapfrog Regional Roll­out Leader and publicly reports hospital quality and patient safety data since 2003, compares data on nine health plans in Virginia through the eValue8 RFI Tool, offers a diabetes coaching program HealthMapRx(TM), engages in community quality improvement, education and communication, and wellness and health promotion. VBCH is a mixed­model member coalition of stakeholder purchasers (employers) and providers, representing 300,000 employees and their dependents. For more information about VBCH, visit www.myVBCH.org or phone 757.552.0913.

Complete list of Hospital­Acquired Conditions (HACs) included in CMS' non­payment policy effective October 1, 2008:

-- Foreign Object Retained After Surgery

-- Air Embolism

-- Blood Incompatibility

-- Stage III and IV Pressure Ulcers

-- Falls and Trauma (fractures, dislocations, intracranial injuries, crushing injuries, burns)

-- Catheter­Associated Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

-- Vascular Catheter­Associated Infection

-- Surgical Site Infection­Mediastinitis after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)

-- Surgical Site Infection Following Certain Orthopedic Procedures

-- Surgical Site Infection Following Bariatric Surgery for Obesity

-- Certain glycemic control­related conditions, including diabetic ketoacidosis, nonketotic hyperosmolar coma, hypoglycemic coma, secondary diabetes with ketoacidosis, and secondary diabetes with hyperosmolarity

-- Deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism following total knee replacement and hip replacement procedures

    Contact: Eileen Ciccotelli
    Phone: 757.552.0913
    Email: eciccotelli@myvbch.org