FL Hospital Awaits Immediate Jeopardy Decision

Naples Community Hospital in Naples, FL. is waiting to learn if its immediate jeopardy status has been lifted and whether it can remain in the federal Medicare program, according to information provided by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

In a December 21, 2011 letter, officials from the Atlanta office of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services notified the 420-bed hospital that a full Medicare survey conducted in mid-December identified deficiencies in three broad categories: governing body, quality assessment performance improvement, and infection control.

The letter asked NCH to submit a plan of correction and warned that "failure to achieve compliance will result in the hospital's termination under Medicare effective March 14, 2012."

The POC was submitted on Jan 15, 2012.

According to state and federal documents, Naples Community Health faced a number of complaint and follow-up surveys in 2011 involving both federal and state deficiencies. Most of the problems uncovered by AHCA, which contracts with CMS to perform the surveys, involved minor deficiencies that were quickly resolved.