Federal Warning : Loss of Medicare Status Threatens Burbank Hospital

Federal health officials have told Burbank Community Hospital that its status as a Medicare provider is in jeopardy and will be revoked unless the hospital improves deficiencies in health care and staffing.

The facility will no longer be able to receive Medicare patients or be reimbursed for their treatment if the hospital does not correct deficiencies reported by county investigators last month, said officials of the federal Health Care Financing Administration, an agency that grants approval to hospitals involved in the Medicare program.

The agency ordered county health officials to monitor the hospital and conduct an investigation into its operation to determine if the deficiencies are being corrected, officials said.

Deficiencies Cited

The federal ruling followed the recommendations of Los Angeles County Health Services officials, who found the facility to be deficient in administration, staff procedures, emergency treatment and quality medical assurance.

The hospital submitted a preliminary plan for improvement to county health officials earlier this month. Although county officials said the hospital seemed to be moving toward improving conditions there, federal officials said the plan was not enough.

“All we have is a promise to correct the problems, but the problems aren’t corrected yet,” said Ronald Currie, chief of standards and certification for the operations branch of the federal Health Care Financing Administration.

“A plan just means they are partway down the road for correction. That is not adequate,” Currie said.

Hospital director Jurral Rhee said he was not surprised at the federal ruling. “We were well aware it was forthcoming,” Rhee said. “We feel this will draw the employees and the hospital board together as a family, and we will get through this crisis. We’ll be working for a common goal.”

County health officials said they still have not reached an official decision on the adequacy of the hospital’s correction plan.

The county investigation listed 22 deficiencies at Burbank Community. It said the hospital did not assure that authorized and trained personnel were working in the emergency room. The hospital staff also allowed some physicians to administer emergency care without proper authorization, the report said.

The report also stated that there was little documentation to show that the hospital staff was acting responsibly in reviewing the quality of health care.

The investigation intensified in late August after a transient, taken to Burbank Community when police found him covered with lice, was found collapsed outside the hospital a day after he was admitted. Despite pleas from police, the hospital refused to readmit the man, saying he had already been properly treated.

The man was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where doctors said he was suffering from dehydration, anemia, malnutrition and alcoholic withdrawal. He was admitted in serious condition.