State investigators found Chicago-based Weiss Memorial Hospital was operating a “makeshift” emergency department that did not have proper resources or staffing to care for patients days before CMS terminated the hospital’s participation in the Medicare program, according to a July 30 report from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Two physicians and a nurse told surveyors with the Illinois Department of Public Health that the hospital had stood up an ad hoc ED in an office building that did not have the proper medications, monitoring equipment or oxygen supplies, according to the report, which is based on state records obtained by the publication. The nurse reportedly quit her role due to the conditions.
Surveyors found that three patients who presented to the hospital in late June and early July were unable to get the emergency care they needed and were transferred to another hospital, according to the report. The investigation also determined the hospital was not staffing enough nurse supervisors or providing 24-hour nursing services.
Surveyors probed Weiss Memorial Hospital after its air conditioning systems failed in June, pushing temperatures inside the facility to 90 degrees. CMS subsequently terminated the facility’s Medicare status, saying the hospital is not in compliance with requirements for “nursing services, emergency services and physician environment.” The hospital will stop receiving Medicare payments for inpatient services, effective Aug. 9, the agency said in a public notice.
Leaders at the hospital, including owner and CEO Manoj Prasad, MD, PhD, said findings in the state’s investigation were “inaccurate,” according to the Sun-Times. He said findings related to the “makeshift” emergency department were “untrue,” saying the area had the same resources and supplies as the main ED. Three of the four air-conditioning units have been repaired, Dr. Prasad said in a statement to the news outlet.
“IDPH is supportive of a phased re-opening of the facility however with the hospital losing Medicare funding, the hospital is working on determining the best path forward,” he said.
It’s unclear how much of the hospital is currently operational.
