Nurses from Framingham (Mass.) Union Hospital, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, have filed complaints with state and federal agencies regarding alleged jeopardized patient safety stemming from staffing, hospital policy and technology allocation issues.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents the Framingham nurses, filed complaints with the state Department of Public Health, The Joint Commission and CMS, according to a Sept. 13 news release from the union.
The complaints are based on reports from nurses within the past nine months that were shared with Framingham Union and the MNA. It referenced issues that allegedly violate health department, Joint Commission and CMS standards and caused treatment delays and preventable patient complications, the release said.
Technology issues mentioned in the complaint include malfunctions of the hospital's phone system, which allegedly led to critical care team members being unable to hear pages for a response needed in critically ill patients.
Staffing and patient handoff protocols are mentioned in the complaint. In one instance, a patient experiencing chest pain and tightness was admitted from the emergency department and was not seen for two hours because of a lack of handoff communication to the receiving nurse, who was not aware of the patient's arrival to their unit, according to the complaint.
"MetroWest Medical Center remains focused on continuing to provide high-quality care," a spokesperson from Saint Vincent Hospital & MetroWest Medical Center, which includes Framingham Union Hospital and Leonard Morse Hospital, said in a statement shared with Becker's. "We are grateful for the dedicated physicians, nurses and staff who prioritize patient care every day. We do not condone the MNA's actions to try to discredit our high-quality organization."
The complaints against Framingham Union come after the MNA filed similar complaints against Tenet's Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass.
The Joint Commission found Saint Vincent Hospital to be non-compliant with CMS conditions in March, the release said. In April, the health department cited the hospital for not providing appropriate telemetry boxes, which are essential in monitoring patients admitted for serious cardiac conditions.