Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Calif., will lose its Medicare contract in October unless it corrects deficiencies outlined in a 65-page report, according to NBC Bay Area, citing the CMS report that is not yet publicly available.
A June survey of Good Samaritan Hospital, part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, found the facility was not in compliance with Medicare rules, according to a July 12 notice of termination letter CMS sent the hospital. The deficiencies uncovered during the survey included "serious, systemic, and recurring issues" that put several patients "at risk for adverse events," according to the report obtained by NBC Bay Area.
The report documented leadership failures at the hospital and noted that nurse-to-patient staffing ratios were not in compliance with state mandates several times earlier this year. Understaffing led nurses to make mistakes, including at least four instances where medications were not given to ICU patients according to physician orders, the report said.
"The cumulative effect of these systemic problems resulted in the hospital's inability to ensure the provision of quality health care in a safe environment," the CMS report stated, according to NBC Bay Area.
The hospital submitted a plan of correction to CMS, and every issue noted by CMS has been addressed, a Good Samaritan spokesperson told NBC Bay Area.
"We have full confidence we will meet the CMS requirements and retain our Medicare status," the spokesperson told NBC Bay Area. "Our top priority is to be a strong partner with the San Jose community as we have been for the past 25 years and provide safe high-quality care to those we have the privilege of serving every day."
CMS rarely terminates a hospital's Medicare contract.
Read the full NBC Bay Area article here.
Read the full report from CMS here.