Sandhills Regional Medical Center, a private, for-profit 64-bed acute care hospital in Hamlet, N.C., is in "immediate jeopardy" status with CMS, according to a Richmond County Daily Journal report.
"[CMS] has cited our hospital related to a recent patient safety event," a hospital statement reads, according to the report. "We are taking this matter very seriously."
It was unclear what specific event led to the immediate jeopardy notice. However, in July, a janitor at the hospital was arrested on charges relating to alleged sexual abuse of two patients at Sandhills, according to another Daily Journal report.
Immediate jeopardy is "a situation in which the provider's noncompliance with one or more requirements of participation has caused, or is likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death of a resident," according to CMS. Hospitals in this status could lose their certification for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement unless a plan of correction is filed and accepted within 23 days of the notification, according to the Daily Journal.
According to the Daily Journal, the hospital has put a corrections plan in place that has already been accepted by CMS, and officials believe the plan addresses the unnamed concerns CMS raised.
As part of the correction plan, the hospital strengthened its patient safety policies and procedures, and caregivers have gone through additional training.
"We believe our new processes have created a markedly safer environment and we are committed to taking any necessary actions to meet and exceed the standards of care required by CMS," the hospital said in a statement.