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Safety-net hospitals fare better under new Medicare reimbursement rules: Readmission penalties reduced for hospitals with poorest patients

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Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led a study showing that new Medicare reimbursement rules reduce financial penalties for safety-net hospitals. The change shifts some of the financial burden away from hospitals that care for the most vulnerable patients.(Photo: Matt Miller/Washington University School of Medicine)

New Medicare reimbursement rules provide some relief to safety-net hospitals, shifting the burden of financial penalties toward hospitals serving wealthier patient populations, according to a new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The new rules also reduce the burden of such penalties on hospitals in states that have more generous Medicaid programs.

Read the School of Medicine story.