Parkland Hospital, Major Healthcare Provider For Latinos, Risks Medicare Funding Due To Negligence

[rainbow4321]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/12/parkland-hospital-medicare-funding_n_956685.html

DALLAS -- Parkland Memorial Hospital, which has been cited by federal regulators for continued threats to patient safety, plans to sign a "systems improvement agreement" that may allow it to continue to treat Medicare patients -- even if it no longer qualifies to participate in the program.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) told the hospital its federal funding would be cut off and its Medicare agreement terminated on Sept. 30 "because of deficiencies that represent an immediate and serious threat to patient health and safety." Yet CMS offered Parkside the opportunity to sign the systems improvement agreement, which would allow outside consultants to oversee changes to its operations, because of the enormous number of patients who would be impacted if the hospital were to be shut down.

(snip)
Parkland is Dallas County's only public hospital and the only option for the 45 percent of Latinos in Dallas who lack health insurance. Losing federal funding would have a profound effect on its patients, many of whom are low-income and Hispanic. Although definitive statistics are not available, the Concilio, a nonprofit organization that serves the Hispanic community in Dallas, estimates that 82 percent of the babies born at Parkland and 50 percent of the hospital’s patients are Hispanic. Hospital spokeswoman Candace White confirmed to The Huffington Post that the majority of Parkland's patients are Hispanic.

(snip)
The CMS report found that staff members did not take proper precautions to ensure cleanliness before caring for patients, neglecting to remove soiled gloves and gowns. Infectious waste, such as syringes, bodily fluids, and respiratory equipment, was improperly disposed of. Patients were not stabilized before being transferred from the emergency room to other departments and their pain levels were not properly assessed. Severe staff shortages meant that residents worked unsupervised and nurses were not available at certain hours. Bed linens often went unchanged, expired drugs were used, examinations were performed incorrectly and diagnoses were often wrong.

[MineralMan]

1. There's Perry's Leadership in Action.

It's a preview of an America with Perry as President. Support President Obama in 2012! Work to Elect Democratic Legislators in 2012! That is what we can do.

[SharonAnn]

2. Where JFK was taken after being shot. What a comedown.

[Uben]

3. I did not read the whole post, but......

...I remember hearing last year that Parkland loses about $50 million/yr to indigent care. I'm sure that makes budget issues quite difficult, especially since the fed is cutting back on everything. So, it does not surprise me to see some cost cutting going on there. They can't deny treatment, so what can they do to offset such large losses? Obviously, the answer is less oversight, less personell, and fewer trained, educated workers.

Teabaggers want them to stop treating illegals, but that would violate state laws.

[rainbow4321]

4. Their annual budget is $1.2 billion this year

They've got the money...they are just spending it wrecklessly. The hospital execs get 20-25% bonuses each year--on top of their six figure salaries. They expanded the number of managers who got bonuses last year, I believe to 160 managers only because those extra lower level managers felt slighted because they were not getting a piece of the bonus pie.
On top of all this, they have been put on notice by the Dept of Justice that there is going to be an investigation for Medicare/Medicaid billing fraud.