Central Maine Medical Center announced June 13 it has remedied several problems and will no longer lose funding from CMS, according to The Portland Press Herald.
CMMC learned earlier this year that CMS would suspend payment for Medicare and Medicaid patients unless the hospital fixed problems detected by investigators. The problems included a failure to thoroughly review a medical error and to prevent that error in the first place, with a particular focus on a spine patient who was left paralyzed following improper treatment protocol.
The hospital recently sent a correction plan to CMS outlining actions to improve emergency department processes. Among other measures, the hospital will change how it issues medical orders for spine patients and require nurses to show they understand spinal precautions.
Investigators found CMMC had corrected its issues and complied with CMS after visiting the hospital June 6 and 7. The hospital would have lost tens of millions of dollars a year if it failed to address the issues by June 30.