Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) is a Medicare value-based purchasing program that reduces payments to hospitals based on how they perform on measures of hospital-acquired conditions. This program encourages hospitals to implement best practices for the reduction of cases of healthcare–associated infections (HAIs) and overall patient safety improvement (CMS, n.d). In my work environment, this payment system relates to the evaluation and implementation of practices to prevent the spread of HAIs and the ongoing monitoring of practices to improve patient safety.
This system is implemented in my healthcare environment through continuous monitoring of a Total HAC Score, which reflects the level of patient safety in the hospital. If a hospital receives a Total HAC Score greater than the 75th percentile of all Total HAC Scores, then it receives a payment reduction of 1 percent on overall Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payments. This practice allows the hospital to continuously monitor patient safety and emphasize the importance of preventing the spread of HAIs.
This payment system aligns perfectly with my organization’s mission as it focuses on better safety and patient outcomes. In relation to the needs of the community, the system is also extremely effective, as it allows you to improve the quality of care by introducing practices such as public health monitoring, improved hygiene, following patient safety guidelines, and more. All this improves the quality of care and brings health benefits to the members of the community. This system serves all members of the community regardless of the population, as it implies a general improvement in the safety of care. To maintain this payment system, hospitals need ongoing oversight of patient safety and control of the spread of HAIs.
Reference
CMS. (n.d). Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP). CMS. Web.