Durham Regional Hospital officials are expecting to receive official confirmation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that they have made the necessary policy changes to be compliant with federal regulations. Durham Regional, part of the Duke University Health System, will be removed from “immediate jeopardy” status later this week and will maintain Medicare funding—an amount totaling more than $67 million.
Administrators from Durham Regional received unofficial confirmation of the passing review by CMS late Friday. As of late Wednesday, they were still awaiting a formal confirmation, which is expected to arrive soon.
The hospital was placed on probationary status Aug. 13, two days after a patient smashed a bedside tray table through a fifth-floor window and jumped, falling two floors before landing on a gravel roof. The patient, whose identity has not been released, was transferred to Duke University Medical Center in critical condition.
CMS inspectors then visited the hospital and designated it in immediate jeopardy—a probationary status. CMS threatened to cut off Medicare reimbursements following the accident. CMS inspectors revisited the site last Thursday and Friday.
“It is important that people know that we take the concerns raised by CMS very seriously and welcome the feedback from them,” said Katie Galbraith, director of marketing and corporate communications at Durham Regional. “We see this as a learning opportunity.”
Changes to Durham Regional’s policies include constant supervision for high-risk patients and greater screening for patients with problems stemming from alcohol.
This is the third time Durham Regional has been placed in “immediate jeopardy” in the last three years.
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