An ambulance diversion at an Illinois hospital in late July has drawn on-site scrutiny from state regulators and an ongoing federal review, according to statements shared with Becker’s.
Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City went on ambulance diversion “for a brief period during afternoon hours” on July 31, a hospital spokesperson said. The move “was driven by one concern: making sure every patient already in our hospital had the staff needed to care for them,” Gateway Regional said in a statement.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said it has since sent surveyors to the facility over the last few weeks, according to an Aug. 20 statement.
The department said it is “closely monitoring the situation” and coordinating with area hospitals “to ensure both continuity of care for current patients and access to healthcare services for local residents.”
CMS is also reviewing the incident.
“This case has been referred to the [quality improvement organization] for review,” the agency told Becker’s on Aug. 13. “CMS has not yet completed its review of the survey findings and has not issued a compliance determination to the provider.”
Gateway Regional said in its statement that it is updating its bypass and diversion policy “in direct consultation with IDPH’s Region 4 EMS coordinator,” incorporating the state’s diversion checklist and validating the policy against state, federal and Joint Commission accreditation standards.
“We proactively began this update before receiving the formal CMS findings, which we will respond to through the official process,” the hospital said.
In addition to the diversion, the hospital recently experienced a payroll disruption. American Healthcare Systems founder and CEO Mike Sarian, PhD, and his wife personally loaned Gateway Regional Medical Center $1 million to cover a delayed payroll affecting more than 600 employees in late July. Reno, Nev.-based American Healthcare Systems operates the hospital.
Becker’s has contacted CMS and will update this story if additional information is received.
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