Two Nashville hospitals may be terminated from the Medicare program after a medication error injured four people, paralyzing one, on Aug. 14.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) notified Dr. Shubhada Jagasia, CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown, site of the incident, that the hospital had until Sept. 18 to come up with an acceptable safety plan.
In an Aug. 26 letter, obtained by The Epoch Times, an agency official said a site inspection that concluded on Aug. 21 found the hospital did not comply with Medicare regulations, posing a “immediate jeopardy to patients’ health and safety.”
If the “immediate jeopardy” finding is not removed, Ascension Saint Thomas West would be terminated as well because the two operate as one entity.
Termination from the program would mean the hospitals could no longer receive payments from Medicare.
A statement posted on the Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown website said the hospital is working diligently to resolve the situation.
“We are actively engaged in ongoing, structured collaboration with state and federal regulatory agencies,” the Sept. 9 statement said. “We are refining our corrective action plans in full coordination with these agencies to ensure every requirement is met.”
Four patients received spinal injections of potassium phosphate—normally used to treat low levels of blood phosphorus—instead of the spinal anesthetic mepivacaine, when undergoing joint replacements.
All four patients experienced neurological systems, trouble breathing, and poor circulation. The most severely affected patient was paralyzed below the midsection.
The facility self-reported the error the day it happened, according to a hospital statement.
The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission performed an unannounced inspection at the Ascension St. Thomas from Aug. 16 through Aug. 21 to determine the hospital’s compliance with Medicare regulations.
The commission identified three “immediate jeopardies”—a Medicare term meaning the provider has caused or is likely to cause serious harm or death to a patient.
The hospital called the incident an isolated error and said it had instituted additional safeguards, according to a statement.
The commission rejected three action plans submitted by the hospital, saying they didn’t do enough to correct the conditions that led to patients being harmed. The three immediate jeopardies remained in place when the visit ended, the report said.
CMS notified the hospital that its status as a “deemed” hospital was revoked as of Aug. 26.
A deemed hospital is one that the agency approves for the Medicare program based on its accreditation by a national agency. Such hospitals do not require state surveys, like the one performed at Ascension St. Thomas, for recertification. However, the status can be revoked.
Because Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital is under an immediate jeopardy warning, removal of the deemed status triggered a 23-calendar-day process for termination of participation in Medicare.
The agency said the hospital must submit an acceptable safety plan by Aug. 31 and that participation could be terminated if no plan is accepted by Sept. 18.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has opened its own investigation into the medication error. A bureau spokesperson confirmed to The Epoch Times on Sept. 1 that the investigation is active and ongoing.
The Epoch Times requested comments from CMS but received no response by the time of publication.
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