As CMS Approves Parkland's CAP, Board Chair Resigns

The Dallas office of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Wednesday approved the most recent corrective action plan submitted by the consultants for Parkland Health and Hospital System. The CAP is in response to the 300-page gap analysis report prepared by Alvarez & Marsal Healthcare Industry Group, which details serious, ongoing deficiencies at Parkland.

The CAP will not be publically released by CMS until it has been reviewed by the CMS Freedom of Information Group (FIG) office in Baltimore. There is no timeline for the release. The FIG office is still reviewing the gap analysis report, which it received in early February.

Parkland is unlikely to release the CAP on its own accord. Hospital officials cited legal concerns in declining to make the gap analysis document available.  A press statement released Wednesday night by Parkland refers to the CAP and accompanying documents as "privileged documents."

In that statement, Thomas Royer, MD, Parkland's interim CEO notes that hospital officials have been working closely with A&M and many improvements are already underway. Key changes include improvements to nursing reorganization, the use of a mock survey team to monitor the implementation of all improvement plans, and enhanced leadership oversight to assure the sustainability of the plans.

"The Corrective Action Plan is comprehensive and designed to prepare us for a successful resurvey by CMS. It identifies areas of change that still lie ahead and we must fully implement the recommendations outlined in the plan," said Dr. Royer. "These are not temporary changes, but rather will be permanently incorporated into our operations to help assure positive, sustainable change that will improve our safety, quality of care and the patient experience at Parkland."