Two Hospitals Penalized By Fed’s

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Two West Texas hospitals will have funding withheld after being penalized by federal inspectors for having patients who developed health problems while hospitalized.  

The penalties against University Medical Center of El Paso and El Paso Specialty Hospital amount to a loss of 1 percent of their total Medicare payment for the current fiscal year. It's not clear just how much money will be withheld.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says patients at both facilities developed "hospital-acquired conditions," such as infections or other complications.

UMC officials told the El Paso Times (http://bit.ly/1x0l4Z0 ) the penalty is a consequence of the kinds of patients they treat. They see underinsured patients who often require long hospitalizations and are susceptible to infection.

The other hospital did not respond to messages for comment.