The CMS is scrutinizing a Tenet Healthcare Corp. hospital in Alabama after its staffers used inappropriate restraint methods, leaving one patient dead and others at risk.
In surveillance footage reviewed by the CMS, a patient in Brookwood Baptist Medical Center's psychiatric unit was physically restrained by hospital staff after repeatedly getting out of bed and walking into the halls of the Birmingham hospital.
Three staff members restrained the patient facedown after a disagreement, according to a report obtained by Modern Healthcare on Monday.
The patient flailed for several minutes as one staffer held the patient down with a knee. Ultimately, the patient stopped moving and suffered cardiac arrest. The workers could not resuscitate the patient.
The CMS said Brookwood Baptist failed to follow proper restraint procedures, such as following their training and physician orders on restraining the patient, as well as completing a post-restraint assessment to determine the actions were necessary.
After reviewing the records of several other patients, the CMS found other instances where staffers didn't follow proper restraint procedures, although no other fatalities occurred.
"These deficient practices had the potential to negatively affect all patients admitted to this facility," the CMS said in the report.
The CMS urged Brookwood Baptist to take corrective action to ensure staff follow proper restraint procedures. If the problems persist, the hospital could lose its Medicare billing privileges.
Agency officials will inspect the hospital by May 31 to check its progress, according to a CMS spokeswoman.
Brookwood Baptist submitted a plan of correction to the CMS, according to hospital spokeswoman Shelly Weiss Friedberg.
Friedberg added that Brookwood Baptist takes patient safety very seriously and is committed to continuous improvement in quality measures and safety procedures.
