https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/string_of_patient_deaths_promp.html
Patient deaths cited as federal regulators put Brookwood Hospital on notice
Updated Jul 27, 6:08 PM;Posted Jul 27, 5:58 PM
The inside of an emergency room at Brookwood Medical Center, which was recently warned that it might lose funding over patient safety
13.5kshares
By Amy Yurkanin
ayurkanin@al.com
Two patient deaths and several mishaps at Brookwood Medical Center have prompted the second warning in less than three months from federal regulators who could revoke the hospital's Medicare and Medicaid payments.
Federal regulators informed the hospital Thursday that payments from Medicare and Medicaid could end on Aug. 9. It's the second time the hospital has received this warning in a little more than two months.
The first warning from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services came after a patient died in the psychiatric department in April. The patient suffered a heart attack after being placed in restraints. Officials from CMS said the staff did not follow proper procedures for physically restraining a patient.
Officials from Brookwood Medical Center submitted a plan of correction and were approved to continue providing services to Medicare and Medicaid patients in May.
In a survey completed July 12, inspectors found more problems at Brookwood that provoked another warning from CMS. Two patient deaths, one severe injury and trauma from falls could have been prevented by following hospital procedure, inspectors found.
"The amount of the violations and the severity of the violations are shocking," said Tommy James, an attorney who has handled similar cases against hospitals. "These aren't minor deficiencies, all of these deficiencies could potentially lead to loss of life."
The survey also found that hospital staff failed to properly track patients' vital signs, putting them in danger of death or injury. One investigator discovered that no staff members, including nurses, entered a patient's room for 10 hours in May.
"Brookwood Baptist Medical Center submitted a Plan of Correction to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid to address all findings identified in the recent survey completed on July 10, 2018," read a statement from Brookwood spokesperson Laura Clarke. "We await CMS' follow up survey to validate the actions outlined in our Plan of Correction. Brookwood Baptist Medical Center takes patient safety very seriously and is committed to continuous improvement in quality measures and safety procedures."
In January, a bipolar patient in a psychiatric program escaped the facility and jumped from a parking garage. The patient disappeared after she checked in for treatment, but before the first group therapy session. A review of the records showed that her husband called several times to check on her and warn staff she might try to leave, according to an inspection report. According to the report, staff failed to notice the patient had escaped and never tried to track her down.
A 35-year-old patient admitted in May nearly died after an extreme drop in blood pressure went untreated by hospital staff. The nurse did not notify the doctor of his decreasing pressure until the patient became unresponsive. The patient was placed on a ventilator and treated in intensive care for more than a week.
On June 10, a patient died after receiving a dose of pain medication for possible indigestion. The monitor indicated the patient's pulse had stopped 15 minutes before a family member notified staff. The monitor technician failed to notice a decline in the patient's heart rate before the heart stopped.
At least one other patient with diagnoses of psychoses and depression left the hospital in July and was found in the woods nearby.
"The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has determined that Brookwood Baptist Medical Center is not in compliance with the conditions of participation," read the most recent notice from CMS. "The Medicare program will not make payment for hospital services to patients who are admitted after August 9, 2018."
Patient deaths cited as federal regulators put Brookwood Hospital on notice
Updated Jul 27, 6:08 PM;Posted Jul 27, 5:58 PM
The inside of an emergency room at Brookwood Medical Center, which was recently warned that it might lose funding over patient safety
13.5kshares
By Amy Yurkanin
ayurkanin@al.com
Two patient deaths and several mishaps at Brookwood Medical Center have prompted the second warning in less than three months from federal regulators who could revoke the hospital's Medicare and Medicaid payments.
Federal regulators informed the hospital Thursday that payments from Medicare and Medicaid could end on Aug. 9. It's the second time the hospital has received this warning in a little more than two months.
The first warning from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services came after a patient died in the psychiatric department in April. The patient suffered a heart attack after being placed in restraints. Officials from CMS said the staff did not follow proper procedures for physically restraining a patient.
Officials from Brookwood Medical Center submitted a plan of correction and were approved to continue providing services to Medicare and Medicaid patients in May.
In a survey completed July 12, inspectors found more problems at Brookwood that provoked another warning from CMS. Two patient deaths, one severe injury and trauma from falls could have been prevented by following hospital procedure, inspectors found.
"The amount of the violations and the severity of the violations are shocking," said Tommy James, an attorney who has handled similar cases against hospitals. "These aren't minor deficiencies, all of these deficiencies could potentially lead to loss of life."
The survey also found that hospital staff failed to properly track patients' vital signs, putting them in danger of death or injury. One investigator discovered that no staff members, including nurses, entered a patient's room for 10 hours in May.
"Brookwood Baptist Medical Center submitted a Plan of Correction to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid to address all findings identified in the recent survey completed on July 10, 2018," read a statement from Brookwood spokesperson Laura Clarke. "We await CMS' follow up survey to validate the actions outlined in our Plan of Correction. Brookwood Baptist Medical Center takes patient safety very seriously and is committed to continuous improvement in quality measures and safety procedures."
In January, a bipolar patient in a psychiatric program escaped the facility and jumped from a parking garage. The patient disappeared after she checked in for treatment, but before the first group therapy session. A review of the records showed that her husband called several times to check on her and warn staff she might try to leave, according to an inspection report. According to the report, staff failed to notice the patient had escaped and never tried to track her down.
A 35-year-old patient admitted in May nearly died after an extreme drop in blood pressure went untreated by hospital staff. The nurse did not notify the doctor of his decreasing pressure until the patient became unresponsive. The patient was placed on a ventilator and treated in intensive care for more than a week.
On June 10, a patient died after receiving a dose of pain medication for possible indigestion. The monitor indicated the patient's pulse had stopped 15 minutes before a family member notified staff. The monitor technician failed to notice a decline in the patient's heart rate before the heart stopped.
At least one other patient with diagnoses of psychoses and depression left the hospital in July and was found in the woods nearby.
"The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has determined that Brookwood Baptist Medical Center is not in compliance with the conditions of participation," read the most recent notice from CMS. "The Medicare program will not make payment for hospital services to patients who are admitted after August 9, 2018."
