Federal officials have ended greater oversight of Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center that began following a the death of a patient.
The Houston Chronicle reports the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in late July notified Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center that it’s again in compliance with agency requirements and supervision was transferred back to the hospital’s accrediting body.
Doug Lawson, president of Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, said in a statement Wednesday that successfully completing the CMS review within six months is “a tremendous accomplishment.”
CMS earlier this year took more aggressive oversight of St. Luke’s after investigating the patient death and finding numerous safety and patient-care deficiencies.
A yearlong investigation by the Chronicle and ProPublica had documented a number of deaths and unusual complications following heart transplants. CMS’ previous termination of federal funding for heart transplants at St. Luke’s remains in place.
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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com