WOW--it looks like EBP will be more essential than ever!

Jani Hill was discussing with me the other day that, as of 2008, Medicare would no longer pay for the care of patients whose central lines get infected. We discussed the impact this could have on hospitals which is significant. But actually the change in Medicare policy is much more broadsweeping than either of us knew. Basically, Medicare won't pay the care for any preventable error in the hospital. Think about it: hospital acquired UTI's, drug errors, the list can go on and on. Read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/washington/19hospital.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

What does that mean for hospitals? That evidence based practice will no longer be just a part of getting magnet status. Hospitals will have to rely on EBP to ensure they are making a profit. What does it mean for nurses? That they will have to be able to translate EBP into clinical practice and that nurses will have to follow strict procedures to ensure decreased errors. For patients, though, it's possible that it means they will have better care. But could hospitals turn away Medicare patients like they do in some MD offices? I'm not sure of the impact there.

There's probably lots of other meanings out there--what impact do you foresee this change in Medicare having on hospitals, patients and nurses?