Guidelines on Payment for Errors

National and local efforts to reduce errors, increase transparency, and lower costs have included the consideration of policies related to nonpayment for serious reportable adverse events. Some initial efforts have explored applications of the NQF list of 28 serious reportable adverse events as a start for nonpayment policies or guidelines.

IHA and the IPSC believe that hospitals should not be paid by purchasers of health care, such as the patient, insurer, and/or employer, for relevant charges that correspond to a preventable serious adverse event. Hospitals should, however, be paid for services that pre-date the preventable serious adverse event or are unrelated. Additionally, IHA and the IPSC support the notification of patients and payers that a preventable error was made during the delivery of care.

In response to this issue of appropriate payment, the IHA Board of Directors has established a list of Guiding Principles Regarding Payment for Preventable Serious Adverse Events.