RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Fifteen hospitals in Virginia will have their federal Medicare payments cut this fiscal year as part of government penalties for having too many patient complications. Federal numbers show the hospitals are among about 725 around the country that will have their payments reduced by 1 percent under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. The total reduction in spending because of the program is estimated at about $373 million for fiscal year 2015. The program is a new effort under the Affordable Care Act that builds on existing programs that uses public reporting and financial incentives to encourage improvements in patient safety. According to public data on the Medicare.gov website, the hospitals in Virginia having payments cut include the University of Virginia Medical Center and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System.
