Primary Listings
Delaware hospitals agree not to charge for 9 preventable errors
Delaware hospitals will stop billing for 9 preventable mistakes called serious reportable events by the National Quality Forum: surgery on the wrong body part or patient, wrong surgical procedure, retention of a foreign object, medication error injury, incompatible blood-associated injury, air embolism-associated injury, artificial insemination/ wrong donor, and infant discharged to the wrong family. Announced by the American Hospital Association March 2008
Massachusetts Hospital Association agrees not to bill for 9 preventable adverse events in 2008
Massachusetts hospitals will put a policy into effect in early 2008 that assures patients and insurance companies are not charged for nine infrequent preventable adverse events: surgery on wrong body part or on wrong patient; wrong surgical procedure; leaving a foreign object in the patient; injury associated with medication error, incompatible blood or air embolism; wrong donor for artificial insemination; and infant discharged to the wrong family. Announced by the MA Hospital Assn. (MHA) November 2007. Separately the Mass. state government announced June 18, 2008 it will no longer pay for 28 preventable adverse events through Medicaid, Dept. of Corrections and other state programs. See www.mass.gov
Michigan hospitals agree not to bill for 11 serious adverse events (pdf)
Hospitals in the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) have agreed to not seek payment for 11 conditions resulting from medical errors that could have been avoided. They include things like wrong surgery, blood incompatibility, pressure sores acquired in the hospital, hospital falls with injury, and certain infections. Announced by MHA June 2008; expected to be in effect by Oct. 1, 2008 or sooner
Minnesota hospitals agree not to bill for 27 preventable adverse events (Sept. 2007)
The Minnesota Hospital Association, the MN Council of Health Plans, and the governor have agreed that hospitals will not bill anyone for the 27 [never events] defined by the National Quality Forum. Such events are reportable to the state, and include those such as wrong site surgery and pressure ulcers (bedsores), that should never occur, but occasionally have in the past. The new billing policy is the first in the US, and is effective immediately
New York Medicaid to Stop Paying Hospitals for 14 'Never Events' and Avoidable Errors
New York will stop paying for 14 selected avoidable hospital conditions related to surgery, blood incompatibility, major device malfunction and other infrequent but very harmful events. Announced June 2008; unclear when the policy goes into effect
Oregon hospitals agree not to bill for 24 types of preventable adverse events
Hospital members (57) of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) have agreed to not charge patients, nor their insurance companies, for 24 types of infrequent but very serious events such as wrong site surgery. Implied that it is effective immediately. Announced Feb. 2008
Pennsylvania hospitals agree not to bill for preventable serious adverse events (Jan. 2008)
Bulletin 01-07-11 outlines the serious reportable, preventable events in healthcare that PA hospitals have agreed not to bill for. Agreement between PA Dept. of Public Welfare and the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. More info available at www.haponline.org. Effective immediately
Tennessee hospitals agree not to bill for 11 adverse events (June 2008)
Tennessee Hospital Association approved a policy recommending that hospitals in TN not seek payment for care related to 11 selected serious adverse events if the hospital deems the event was preventable. Which 11 events and the effective policy date were not provided in the press release
Texas Hospitals define principles for billing policies on hospital mistakes (July 2008)
The Texas Hospital Association (THA) adopted five principles to promote accountability - and not billing - for serious medical mistakes. There is no list of mistakes that qualify, per se, but rather, the error must have been preventable, under the control of the hospital where the event occurred, must have resulted in significant harm and must have been precisely defined in advance with greater specificity than the NQF list of 28 events. THA reports that Blue Cross & Blue Shield of TX has agreed to follow these principles
Vermont hospitals agree not to bill for 8 preventable adverse events in 2008
Vermont hospitals will adopt a policy that assures patients and insurance companies are not charged for eight rare but serious events: surgery on wrong body part or on wrong patient; wrong surgical procedure; leaving a foreign object in the patient; injury associated with medication error, incompatible blood or air embolism; and wrong donor for artificial insemination. Such events will be reported to the state of VT beginning Jan. 1, 2008, with the no-billing policy going into effect in fall 2008. Announced by Vermont's hospital association (VAHHS) January 2008
Washington hospitals & surgery centers agree not to bill for 28 preventable adverse events
Members of the Washington Hospital Association, WA Ambulatory Surgery Center Assn, and the State Medical Association have agreed to not charge patients, nor their insurance companies, for 28 infrequent but very serious events such as wrong site surgery. Most hospitals expected to implement some time during 2008. Wash. becomes the fourth state to adopt the policy, announced Jan. 2008
Other Helpful Listings
NQF 29 Serious Reportable Events in Healthcare–2011 Update
Sometimes called the list of Never Events, this report updates 25 largely preventable events identified in NQF’s 2006 report, and adds four additional events, bringing the total serious reportable events (SREs) identified by NQF to 29. Examples: wrong surgery; deaths associated with medication error, or in a low-risk pregnancy, or due to a fall, or from failure to follow up on test results; Stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers. Applies to hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and ambulatory surgery centers. Published by National Quality Forum, June 2011; full report will be forthcoming after mid-July