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Hospitals footed the bill for a record $46 billion worth of unpaid medical bills in 2013, nearly double the amount from a decade ago. The costs of uncompensated care reflect data from nearly 5,000 hospitals around the country, according to surveys collected by the American Hospital Association (AHA). (Ferris, 1/23)

Medicare is ratcheting up its demands that hospitals do a more effective job sending patients home in better shape than when they came in. For the past couple of years, hospitals have had their Medicare payments dinged if too many of their patients had to be readmitted in less than 30 days. Now, for the first time, hospitals also face financial penalties for excessive rates of catheter infections, as well as for avoidable injuries that patients suffer such as bedsores, blood clots and hip fractures. (Bavley, 1/25)

At the Cleveland Clinic’s sprawling main campus, patient Morgan Clay is being discharged. Clay arrived a couple of weeks ago suffering from complications related to acute heart failure. He’s ready to go home. But before Clay can leave, pharmacist Katie Greenlee stops by the room. 'What questions can I answer for you about the medicines?' Greenlee asks as she presents a folder of information about more than a dozen prescriptions Clay takes. "I don’t have too many questions," Clay says. "I’ve been on most of that stuff for a long time." (Tribble, 1/26)

Hospitals need to focus more on reducing preventable errors and infections and the government must create more economic incentives to improve patient safety, Vice President Joe Biden said at a conference in Irvine, Calif. over the weekend. "Up until now, our health care system – in my humble opinion – hasn’t sufficiently linked quality … with safety," he said. "Not enough time has been focused on keeping bad things from happening." (Gorman, 1/26)