Officials for St. John Providence Health System were told Tuesday that St. John River District Hospital in St. Clair, Mich., is back in compliance with Medicare standards and a decision to terminate the hospital's participation in Medicare has been rescinded.
The decision to reverse the termination, which was scheduled to become effective Saturday, was based on a visit by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on April 28.
"The revisit survey found your hospital is now in compliance with the conditions of participation. Therefore, we are rescinding our decision to terminate your participation in the Medicare program. St. John River District Hospital is again deemed to meet applicable Medicare requirements (and) the MDLARA will no longer conduct monitoring surveys of your hospital," wrote Jacqueline Lewis, principal program representative in the Chicago regional office of the CMS.
The CMS had notified St. John Providence on April 14 of the termination, which was the result of a patient's suicide in January, with the hospital being cited for failing to follow required procedures.
In a statement April 27, St. John officials said: "We want to assure the community that we will continue to provide quality care to those in the community we serve. The hospital has re-emphasized its commitment to our patients and has provided the staff with additional education and training as well as increased monitoring to ensure that our patients are safe and receive the best possible care and treatment.
"We are confident that CMS will find us in compliance upon a resurvey prior to May 7th, and that the proposed CMS action will cease. We do not expect any interruption in care to our patients."
Medicare generally accounts for more than half of a hospital's revenue. Losing Medicare certification generally results in hospital closure or conversion to other uses.
On Jan. 8, a 36-year-old woman committed suicide in an observation room after being admitted to the hospital. A physician placed an order for "suicide precautions" for the woman.
