MD Anderson says patient CMS reported dead is still alive

A patient at Houston-based MD Anderson Cancer Center whose reported death was identified as a preventable death in a CMS inspection report released late last month is actually alive and receiving care, hospital officials confirmed Nov. 12.

The hospital has acknowledged an error in documents it shared with the federal agency.

CMS conducted an inspection at MD Anderson at the end of August after a previously investigated patient death. It detailed its findings in a report made public in late October.

In the report, CMS identified deficiencies in nine of the 23 areas surveyed, as well as two more patient deaths attributable to the deficiencies. Now MD Anderson officials say one of those two deaths reported is false.

The patient at the center of the discrepancy between the hospital and federal authorities' report is a 54-year-old brain cancer patient, who CMS described as having "an untoward reaction" to overdoses of anesthetic drugs injected into her scalp before scheduled radiation treatment. CMS reported the patient died in May, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"MD Anderson identified an error in documents shared with CMS that outlined that a patient death had occurred," the cancer center said in a statement provided to the Becker's. "Following an additional internal review, MD Anderson confirmed that the patient did not die and is still receiving care. MD Anderson is communicating with CMS accordingly."

CMS did not take Becker's calls for comment.

 

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