Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Boston is conducting an internal review of inpatient deaths in response to allegations of neglect and suboptimal care for patients with mental health disabilities.
The review comes after a May 8 report, issued by Massachusetts' Disability Law Center, determined that the state-run hospital failed to properly diagnose and treat a cancerous lesion on a patient's nose for more than a year and half. During this time, the patient was admitted to the hospital's mental health unit.
The private, nonprofit advocacy group, which serves as Massachusetts' protection and advocacy agency, found the hospital's failure to provide the patient with appropriate care "constituted neglect and contributed to his painful, untimely death'' in August 2020.
After receiving the advocacy group's findings and recommended corrective actions, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital conducted a comprehensive review of the patient's care and "concurred with the clinical concerns identified by DLC's expert," the report said.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said it has made numerous changes at the hospital since 2020, including hiring a new executive team, recruiting more clinicians to fill gaps in medical staffing and implementing hospitalwide safety huddles.
"DPH created a systemwide approach that prioritizes high-quality care and patient safety by restructuring the four public health hospitals, including at [Lemuel Shattuck Hospital]. … We have also strengthened oversight and accountability and bolstered the internal communications process to improve clinical decision-making," the department said in a statement to WGBH.
Although the hospital has traditionally reviewed all unexpected deaths to identify opportunities to improve care, Lemuel Shattuck is now developing a process to review all deaths without regard for diagnosis or condition, the department said. The hospital's goal is to review all deaths by July.