The networks have the capacity to support more than 4,800 hospitals in 46 states. CMS will make arrangements with some of the networks to cover Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland and Maine.
The networks are part of the Department of Health and Human Services' $1 billion Partnership for Patients initiative to reduce hospital-acquired conditions by 40 percent by the end of 2013 compared with 2010, and cut readmissions by 20 percent. The 26 awarded grants represent nearly half of the $500 million that CMS will receive under Partnership for Patients, funded through the Affordable Care Act.
