Which factors determine payout for safety?

• A. Various patient safety factors and infection rates
• B. Staffing levels
• C. Hospital location
• D. Patient age

Answer: (A)

Payout for safety is determined by how a facility performs on patient safety metrics and infection rates. Programs that set safety payouts look at concrete measures of harm to patients, such as rates of infections like central line-associated bloodstream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, and other safety events (falls with injury, pressure injuries, medication errors, etc.), as well as overall readmission rates. When a hospital shows lower rates of these safety issues, the payout improves; higher rates lead to penalties or reduced payments.

Staffing levels can influence safety, but they are not the direct metrics used to determine safety payouts. Hospital location and patient age aren’t safety performance metrics used for these payouts.