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Methodist Dallas Hospital Resolves Deficiencies

 |  By Margaret@example.com  
   December 06, 2011

After three state surveys to follow up on deficiencies discovered over the summer,  Methodist Dallas Medical Center has received notification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that the facility is now in full compliance with all Medicare conditions of participation.

The notice from the Dallas office of CMS, dated December 2, is based on a November 8 inspection by the Texas Department of State Health Services. It confirms that Methodist Dallas has resolved all of the problems first uncovered at the medical center during a surprise August inspection.

That visit uncovered deficiencies in 10 broad categories, including medical screening, emergency services, and medical records, that placed patients in immediate jeopardy of endangerment.

At that time Methodist Dallas officials attributed the deficiencies to "increased volume and space limitations in our emergency department" and announced a $108 million expansion to its emergency, critical care, and surgery departments.

A follow-up survey conducted in October confirmed that although the initial problems had been resolved, two new problems had been discovered in the areas of nursing services and infection control.

Among the findings: unattended patients, multiple patients cared for by one nurse, violations of handwashing protocols and hospital personnel wearing personal fanny packs in the surgical services area.


In a statement e-mailed to Healthleaders Media after the second survey, officials at Methodist Dallas noted that the 515-bed hospital followed national standards for nurse staffing and infection control protocols. It said the hospital has already taken action to correct the problems, including "instituting additional nursing education, strengthening surveillance to ensure adherence to policies and protocols, and reinforcing adherence through annual education and performance reviews."

Methodist Dallas also received notification last week that its accrediting organization, The Joint Commission, has granted the medical center full accreditation for continued Medicare certification until its next regularly scheduled survey in December, 2014. The 515-bed medical center is part of the five-hospital Methodist Health System.

 

"Surveyors from both TDSHS and Joint Commission were complimentary of our employees and medical staff, and our response to and preparation for the surveys," said Laura Irvine, president of Methodist Dallas Medical Center in a press statement. "I am proud that as evidenced by these surveys and other publicly-available local, regional, and national quality measurements, Methodist Dallas Medical Center has demonstrated our commitment to providing compassionate, quality care for the patients we serve."

See Also:
More Deficiencies Found at Methodist Health
Methodist Dallas Corrective Action Plan Accepted
Immediate Jeopardy Deficiencies Found at Second Dallas Hospital

 

Margaret Dick Tocknell is a reporter/editor with HealthLeaders Media.
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