Oregon State Hospital receives feds’ ‘statement of deficiencies,’ set to submit plan to address issues

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon State Hospital said Thursday it has received a statement of deficiencies from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services following an April survey related to a patient death shortly after arrival.

The deficiencies identified in the report cite the hospital’s medical emergency response procedures, response equipment organization and patient assessment. The CMS report determined that OSH failed to meet its conditions of CMS participation, and the conditions outlined in the findings contributed to the hospital’s capacity to provide safe and adequate care.

On Friday, OSH will submit its Plan of Correction (PoC) related to policies, procedures and trainings that address the CMS findings.

“Our No. 1 priority at Oregon State Hospital is the safety and health of our patients and staff,” said Dr. Sara Walker, OSH interim superintendent and chief medical officer. “We proactively reported the death to CMS the day of the incident, and we continue to work closely with CMS.

"We began addressing CMS concerns earlier this month and have started implementing changes to address the findings identified in this report. The hospital is committed to continuous improvement and ensuring a safe and therapeutic environment for the people we care for.”

After CMS approves the PoC, surveyors will conduct an unannounced survey to review implementation. The hospital is awaiting CMS revisits for two other active CMS surveys.

Following the April CMS survey, CMS placed OSH in immediate jeopardy status of losing its CMS eligibility based on concerns about the organization of Code Blue emergency response equipment in the admissions area. OSH quickly addressed the concern, and CMS lifted the immediate jeopardy status on May 2.