Hospitals that mostly treat Medicaid patients have made smaller quality performance gains

So where is the incentive for physicians and hospitals to treat Medicaid patients...and in time this could have a rolling effect on their financial status as well...with the recent cuts in revenue how do you win at this game? BD

Over time, hospitals with high percentages of Medicaid patients were less likely to be ranked as top performers, as reported on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website. “The percentage of hospitals in the top decile for AMI performance with high percentages of Medicaid patients decreased by more than half, from 10.1 percent in 2004 to 2.8 percent in 2006. At the same time, the percentage of hospitals in the top AMI performance decile with low percentages of Medicaid patients increased from 13.6 percent to 19.7 percent. These patterns held true across all 3 conditions.”
In a simulation model, hospitals with high percentages of Medicaid patients would have received smaller bonus payments and been more likely to incur penalties under pay for performance.