The death occurred July 16, just three months after staff members found a 66-year-old patient unresponsive with no pulse in an emergency department bathroom.
Ben Taub reported the second death to CMS and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission July 19.
“Incidents like this should never happen,” George Masi, president and CEO of Houston-based Harris Health System, which operates Ben Taub, said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. “It is our responsibility to learn from them, and to constantly make improvements in our processes to ensure Harris Health fulfills our mission of caring for those most in need. We are fully committed to that effort, whatever it takes.”
Mr. Masi said Ben Taub investigated the death and immediately implemented “additional risk reduction strategies” to ensure patient safety.
Ben Taub remains under state and federal authority until it can correct all care deficiencies. Investigators are expected to return to the hospital later this summer to assess its progress.
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