Medicare Bonuses and Penalties: Part of Effort to Reshape U.S. Medical System

Interactive Chart:  Bonuses and Penalties For U.S. Hospitals.  Kaiser Health News.  December 20, 2012.

Medicare Discloses Hospitals' Bonuses, Penalties Based Upon Quality by Jordan Rau.  December 20, 2012.

These bonuses and penalties are part of an effort to increasingly base reimbursements through Medicare on the quality of care instead of the quantity of care.  Quality is 70 percent based upon 12 basic standards of clinical care and 30 percent based upon survey ratings of former patient.  1,557 hospitals  are receiving more money while 1,427 receive less as a result of the program called Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program.