After more than two years of a looming threat of closure, San Francisco-based Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center has been approved for Medicare recertification, according to San Francisco city news release.
CMS decertified the facility in April 2022. Originally set to close Sept. 13, 2022, the closure deadline was extended after nine patients died upon transfer to another facility. In February, the closure deadline was extended again, to May 19, 2023. The hospital applied for a third extension in May to recertify and delay transferring patients. And on Aug. 11, 2023 the hospital applied for recertification.
Laguna Honda is the largest public nursing facility in California with nearly 500 residents. The hospital's recertification gives full restoration of funding for the facility, which relies on California's Medi-Cal program for 95% of its funding.
"I could not be prouder of Laguna Honda staff," Grant Colfax, MD, director of health for the City and County of San Francisco, said in the release. "For more than twenty-four months, they have worked under immense pressure to transform Laguna Honda into a top skilled nursing facility, making clear to our regulators that we can meet and will continue to meet high standards of care. Throughout this transformation, Laguna Honda staff have remained dedicated to the health, safety and wellbeing of their residents. I also want to thank our union partners, advocates, and local, federal and state partners for coming together to ensure San Francisco will continue to operate a world class skilled nursing facility."