Northern Louisiana Medical Center, a 130-bed hospital in Ruston, La., could lose its Medicare participation status Aug. 30 if it fails to address deficiencies reported by hospital surveyors.
A June 1 survey cited 24 deficiencies, according to a CMS report published June 15 and accessed by CBS and ABC affiliate KNOE. The same day, the Louisiana Department of Health penned a letter to the hospital, saying it is out of compliance with three conditions of participation for Medicare: governing body, patient rights and nursing services.
“Based on findings of deficient practice cited in this survey, [the Louisiana health department’s Health Standards Section] has determined that Northern Louisiana Medical Center does not qualify as a provider of services in the Medicare program,” the June 15 letter said.
The hospital also risks losing its state-granted license or certification if it does not correct the deficiencies, according to the letter. The Louisiana health department instructed the hospital to submit a correction plan by June 25.
Becker’s reached out to the department for the correction plan; the department provided the June 15 letter and said that is all it can share.
The medical center told Becker’s it has no additional comment beyond what it submitted in its plan of correction. “The LDH will make all documents public record at the appropriate time,” a spokesperson said.
In a June 24 Facebook post, CEO Monica Adams said the hospital “has not lost its Medicare or Medicaid participation status and continues to provide care to patients covered by these programs.”
Ms. Adams said the hospital’s team “has made significant progress and remains committed to providing safe, quality care to our community.”
What surveyors found
The 87-page CMS reports on 32 patient cases. Among the most serious findings:
- Nursing units were left without a registered nurse on duty. During a 10-day window, there were eight shifts on the Progressive Care Unit with licensed practical nurses on shift but no RN assigned.
- One patient admitted to the ICU for chest pain waited more than 10 hours before vital signs were first recorded and more than 16 hours before a nursing physical assessment was documented.
- A nurse told surveyors that while someone is supposed to monitor patients’ monitors, “this does not happen.” When asked who monitors the telemetry status of patients when no one is watching the monitors, the nurse answered, “God.”
- A patient designated as high suicide risk, who was supposed to be under continuous observation, took personal items that were supposed to be secured and left the hospital undetected.
- An employee could not locate evidence that emergency preparedness training had been provided or that exercises had been conducted.
The report also cited environmental and equipment failures throughout the hospital. The ICU and emergency department lacked enough cardiac monitors for each room or bed, and some had been broken “for quite a while.”
An ICU commode was described as “covered with rust.” Dead bugs were found on window sills and floors in ICU rooms. Dried red drips and splatters were found on privacy curtains in two ED rooms, and other rooms had a “large build up of dirt and grime and brown dried substances on the floors.”
On the administrative side, a staff member reported more than 236 delinquent medical records — records the hospital is required to complete within 30 days of a patient’s discharge.
What happens next
The health department confirmed it received the medical center’s plan of correction, according to KNOE. Inspectors will return to assess whether the issues have been addressed. If they have not been satisfactorily corrected, the hospital’s Medicare provider agreement will be terminated effective Aug. 30.
A recurring pattern
CMS complaint survey records show the medical center has faced repeated inspections dating since at least 2021, with overlapping deficiency categories across visits. A 2021 complaint survey cited deficiencies in nursing services and RN supervision of nursing care — the same categories cited in the June 2026 report.
A 2024 complaint survey cited quality assurance and performance improvement failures, infection control deficiencies, and physical environment and equipment maintenance problems, all of which also appear in the latest report.
Becker’s has reached out to CMS for comment and will update this article if a response is received.
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