Houston-based Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center is once again in good standing with the federal government, according to the Houston Chronicle.
CMS recently notified the medical center that it has restored the medical center's "deemed status," and that Baylor St. Luke's is compliant with Medicare conditions of participation, said Doug Lawson, PhD, CEO of Baylor St. Luke's. The medical center had been under increased oversight by the federal government, so the notification means that greater oversight has been removed, according to the Chronicle.
"Successfully completing a CMS review process of this magnitude within six months is a tremendous accomplishment that could not have been possible without leaders, physicians and employees coming together to work as an exceptional team," Dr. Lawson wrote in a letter sent to employees and released to Becker's. "We have created an amazing foundation on which we will continue to grow a culture of excellence that will ensure a quality, safe patient experience."
The news comes after a medical error involving the wrong blood type led to a patient death in December. A CMS investigation into the death revealed staff at Baylor St. Luke's made more than 100 mistakes in labeling blood over four months. After the investigation, the hospital saw several leaders depart.
CMS already had cut off funding for the hospital's heart transplant program in 2018 after a Chronicle and ProPublica investigation found a large number of patient deaths and unusual surgical complications after heart transplants in recent years.
Baylor St. Luke's did not lose funding for the overall medical center due to the 2019 CMS investigation, but increased oversight continued throughout the first half of the year, according to the Chronicle.
According to the newspaper, CMS' decision to terminate Medicare funding for the hospital's heart transplant program remains intact.
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