In what many would consider a laudable goal, the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was implemented to encourage the reduction and, whenever possible, avoidance of preventable adverse events.
Unfortunately, while the intent of this endeavor is to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, hospitals that fail to meet the ACA’s standards are suffering financial penalties in the form of reduced Medicare reimbursement.
One of the performance measures