Preventing Medical Malpractice in Hospitals: Indiana Hospital Association Sets New “No Payment” Policy

In March 2008, the Indiana Journal Gazette announced that the Indiana State Hospital Association has taken a stand on preventing hospital medical mistake errors by hitting the hospitals in their wallets with their new policy, to become effective in October 2008.

Starting in October, Indiana hospitals will not be permitted to seek payment for medical mistakes. The hospitals will be precluded from billing a patient’s insurance carrier for medical treatment related to the medical mistake.  In addition, the hospitals will also be barred from billing a patient directly for these services.

The list of adverse events and/or medical errors for which hospitals will not be paid include:

• Surgery performed on wrong body part
• Surgery performed on wrong patient
• Wrong surgical procedure performed on a patient
• Unintended retention of a foreign object
• Patient death or serious disability associated with air embolism (bubbles of air or gas entering the bloodstream) that occurs while being treated in a hospital
• Patient death or serious disability associated with a hemolytic reaction (related to the destruction of red blood cells) to the administration of incompatible blood or blood products
• Stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers, or bed sores, acquired after admission
• Patient death or serious disability associated with a fall or trauma after admission
• Patient death or serious disability associated with catheter-associated urinary tract infections
• Patient death or serious disability associated with catheter-associated blood vessel infections
• Patient death or serious disability associated with the surgical site infection mediastinitis (infection of the area between the lungs) after a coronary artery bypass graft

see also:

Malpractice Lawsuit: Minnesota Hospital Medical Malpractice involving Minnesota Hospital and handicapped child
Parents bring medical malpractice lawsuit against Minnesota hospital

Hospital Malpractice Policy New policy on payment for Hospital Malpractice policy in Indiana
Hospital Malpractice: Indiana Board to implement policy October 2008

Hospital Errors Stroke Patients: Risk of Medical Malpractice Errors in Hospitals
Hospital Procedures Must Change to Reduce Medical Malpractice Errors