Editorial: Are CMS’ quality incentive programs working?

November of this new year will mark the 20th anniversary of To Err Is Human, 
the first of two landmark Institute of Medicine reports castigating the nation’s 
hospitals and physicians for unnecessary lapses in safety and quality.

The initial book-length study estimated medical errors claimed 98,000 lives a year. The second, Crossing the Quality Chasm, laid out a detailed road map for providers to improve the quality of care.

After nearly two decades of concerted efforts, it’s time for the National Academies to judge whether quality and safety have improved and where new work is needed most.

Exhibit A on the need for a new report: a shocking study published last month in JAMA. It claimed Medicare’s...