Senator questions CMS on King-Harbor

High-profile troubles at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital are bringing the wrath of Congress down on CMS. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has written a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk demanding to know how CMS will make sure that the hospital meets Medicare standards in the future. The facility, formerly known as King-Drew, has faced scrutiny over alleged care lapses for some time now. In its prior incarnation as King-Drew, the hospital had lost its CMS accreditation entirely, winning it back only when it agreed to reorganize and scale back services. Now, that accreditation is on the rocks again, after the well-publicized death of 43-year-old Edith Rodriguez in its emergency department lobby. The hospital will announce a plan to address care deficiencies shortly. In the mean time, it has kicked out its chief medical officer and begun screening its nurses to assure they have adequate skills.

To learn more about CMS scrutiny:
- read this Modern Healthcare article (sub. req.)

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