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2 Maine Hospitals Could See Medicare Payment Reduction in Wake of Report

This fall, Medicare will penalize hospitals with the worst rates of patient injury. Two Maine hospitals are on the preliminary list.

Maine Medical Center in Portland and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston scored among the worst in the nation for criteria such as infections and avoidable complications like bed sores, blood clots, and lung punctures. If their rankings still stand this fall, both hospitals face a one percent reduction in Medicare payments. Betsy Shew of St. Mary's says the data doesn't tell the whole story of very sick patients who underwent complex procedures.

"Yes. There was a complication that was recorded during the course of the procedure, however these patients have had very positive outcomes after their procedure," Shew says.

The chief medical officer of Maine Medical Center, Peter Bates, issued a written statement saying Medicare's methodology is imbalanced. Bates points out that as an urban teaching hospital, Maine Medical Center takes in some of the most complex and diverse patients in northern New England.

The Medicare penalty stems from a program under the Affordable Care Act designed to incentivize hospitals to improve care. Both Maine Medical Center and St. Mary's say they constantly strive to achieve the highest level of safety.