On January 15, 2009, CMS announced three final national coverage determinations (NCDs) to deny Medicare coverage of certain types of serious, preventable surgical errors. Specifically, CMS will no longer cover: (1) wrong surgical or other invasive procedures performed on a patient; (2) surgical or other invasive procedures performed on the wrong body part; or (3) surgical or other invasive procedures performed on the wrong patient. The coverage policy complements CMS’s hospital-acquired conditions payment policy, under which Medicare will not make higher payments to hospitals for care associated with certain reasonably-preventable conditions unless the conditions were reported as present on admission. The NCDs are effective immediately, although implementation guidance will be issued at a later date.