Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and a majority of the state's acute care inpatient hospitals are teaming up in an effort to prevent serious medical errors.
The hospitals have agreed to a new policy that eliminates additional payments in certain cases.
These cases include:
- Adverse events or errors in medical care that are clearly identifiable, preventable and serious in their consequences.
- Hospital-acquired conditions.
- "Never events" – serious and costly errors that should never happen, such as performing the wrong procedure, performing the correct procedure but on the wrong body part, or performing the correct procedure but on the wrong patient.
The policy requires hospitals to report any serious preventable events to BCBS and prevents hospitals from making claims for such events against BCBS or its members.
Officials say the requirements closely follow the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' policy on "Hospital-Acquired Conditions and Present on Admission Indicator Reporting."
The following hospitals will participate:
- Abbeville General Hospital
- Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital
- Acadia-St. Landry Hospital in Church Point
- Acadian Medical Center in Eunice
- Allen Parish Hospital in Kinder
- American Legion Hospital in Crowley
- Assumption Community Hospital in Napoleonville
- Avoyelles Hospital in Marksville
- Baton Rouge General Medical Center
- Beauregard Memorial Hospital in Deridder
- Bienville Medical Center in Arcadia
- Bunkie General Hospital
- Byrd Regional Hospital in Leesville
- Caldwell Memorial Hospital in Columbia
- Christus Coushatta Health Care Center
- Christus Schumpert Health System in Shreveport
- Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria
- Christus St. Patrick Hospital in Westlake
- Citizens Medical Center in Columbia
- Dauterive Hospital in New Iberia
- Dequincy Memorial Hospital
- DeSoto Regional Health System in Mansfield
- Doctors Hospital at Deer Creek in Leesville
- E.A. Conway Medical Center in Monroe
- Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge
- East Carroll Parish Hospital in Lake Providence
- Fairway Medical Center in Covington
- Franklin Foundation Hospital
- Franklin Medical Center
- Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe
- Greater Baton Rouge Surgical Hospital
- Green Clinic Surgical Hospital in Ruston
- Hardtner Medical Center in Olla
- Heart Hospital of Lafayette
- Homer Memorial Hospital
- Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite
- Huey P. Long Medical Center in Pineville
- Iberia Medical Center in New Iberia
- Jackson Parish Hospital in Jonesboro
- Jennings American Legion Hospital
- Lady of the Sea General Hospital in Cut Off.
- Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital
- Lake Charles Memorial Hospital
- Lakeview Regional Medical Center in Covington
- Lallie Kemp Medical Center in Independence
- Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary
- LaSalle General Hospital in Jena
- Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma
- Louisiana Medical Center and Heart Hospital in Lacombe
- Louisiana State University Hospital in Shreveport
- Madison Parish Hospital in Tallulah
- Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans
- Minden Medical Center
- Monroe Surgical Hospital
- Morehouse General Hospital in Bastrop
- Natchitoches Regional Medical Center
- North Caddo Medical Center in Vivian
- North Oaks Health System in Hammond
- Oakdale Community Hospital
- Ochsner Baptist Medical Center LLC
- Ochsner Foundation Hospital
- Ochsner Medical Center at Baton Rouge
- Ochsner Medical Center Kenner
- Ochsner St. Anne General
- Opelousas General Hospital
- Ouachita Community Hospital in West Monroe
- Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Lafayette
- Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge
- P&S Surgical Hospital in Monroe
- Park Place Surgical Hospital in Lafayette
- Physicians Medical Center in Baton Rouge
- Pointe Coupee General Hospital in New Roads
- Prevost Memorial Hospital in Donaldsonville
- Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria
- Richardson Medical Center in Rayville
- Richland Parish Hospital in Delhi
- River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace
- Riverland Medical Center in Ferriday
- Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton
- Sabine Medical Center in Many
- Savoy Medical Center in Mamou
- Slidell Memorial Hospital
- South Cameron Memorial Hospital in Cameron
- Southern Surgical Hospital in Slidell
- Specialists Hospital Shreveport
- Springhill Medical Center
- St. Charles Parish Hospital in Luling
- St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales
- St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe
- St. Helena Parish Hospital in Greensburg
- St. James Parish Hospital in Lutcher
- St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge
- St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington
- Surgical Specialty Center of Baton Rouge
- Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City
- The Neuromedical Center in Baton Rouge
- Regional Medical Center of Acadiana in Lafayette
- Terrebonne General Medical Center
- Thibodaux Regional Medical Center
- Touro Infirmary in New Orleans
- Tri Ward General Hospital in Bernice
- Tulane University Hospital
- Union General Hospital in Farmerville
- University Medical Center in Lafayette
- Ville Platte Medical Center
- W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center in Lake Charles
- Washington-St. Tammany Medical Center in Bogalusa
- West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital in Sulphur
- Willis Knighton Pierremont Health Center
- Willis Knighton Bossier Health Center
- Willis Knighton Medical Center
- Willis Knighton South
- Winn Parish Medical Center in Winnfield
- Woman's Hospital of Baton Rouge
- Women and Children's Hospital of Lake Charles
- Women's and Children's Hospital of Lafayette