Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center is appealing the loss of federal funding for its heart transplant program.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) canceled reimbursement funding for the program after a Houston Chronicle and ProPublica investigation revealed high rates of patient deaths and other problems within the transplant program.
“We do not believe CMS' recent decisions reflect our ongoing progress and accomplishments to improve the quality of our care, and we look forward to presenting the facts so that heart transplant reimbursements can be reinstated,” St. Luke’s president Gay Nord said in a statement.
The hospital said the loss of funding only affects its heart transplant program. Its kidney, liver, and lung transplant programs, as well as other heart surgery programs, remain funded.
St. Luke’s appeal will be heard by a Department of Health and Human Services appeals board.