The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services added three more conditions to its list of preventable, hospital-acquired conditions, or “never events,” that will not be reimbursed starting Oct. 1, (Nursing Spectrum). They are surgical site infections following certain elective procedures, including certain orthopedic surgeries, and bariatric surgery for obesity; certain manifestations of poor control of blood sugar levels; and deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism following total knee replacement and hip replacement procedures.
The eight previously announced conditions CMS will not cover are: removing an object left in during surgery, air embolism, blood incompatibility, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, pressure ulcers, vascular catheter-associated infection, mediastinitis after coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and hospital-acquired injuries, including fractures, dislocations, and burns.