More payers are ending payments to hospitals that result because of mistakes. Makes intuitive sense. Turns out, however, that defining mistakes is a rather gray exercise.
But the California Department of Public Health may be ushering in a new trend: fining hospitals for making mistakes.
Forecast: increasingly gray. Issuing fines for “mistakes” is making the distinction between mistake and intentional harm more difficult to define. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: a comprehensive list can be found here.