HOUSTON - The federal government is taking away Medicare and Medicaid funding from the St. Joseph Medical Center, putting Houston's oldest hospital at risk of shutting down.
St. Joseph is the only trauma hospital in downtown Houston, the closest access for anyone working and visiting downtown and an important resource for the homeless. A large portion of St. Joseph patients are on Medicare and Medicaid and without that funding, the hospital likely couldn't stay open for long.
Word is spreading around the St. Joseph Medical Center that a staple in downtown care could be on the way out.
"I had a surgery here a couple of years ago and was well-treated," said St. Joseph patient Susan Parker. "I have no complaints about it, but I had no idea that their funding had been revoked, that's horrible news."
The hospital's losing its Medicare and Medicaid funding next month, for not meeting federal requirements in patient rights, nursing services and infection control.
"I'm taking treatment now and that's surprising to know," said patient Abel Salas.
David Wright, Deputy Regional Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a statement saying in part: "While this was not the anticipated outcome, this action is necessary to ensure that patients have access to care and treatment in a safe environment, as is expected in all Medicare-certified facilities."
The move comes after an inspection, sparked when a 26-year-old patient, Alan Pean, was shot in the hospital back in August. Pean's family said he went there seeking mental health treatment, but when he became combative two security guards shot him.
Pean survived, but CMS questioned why the guards weren't trained on better ways to bring a patient under control safely.
A hospital spokesperson told KHOU11 News they are hopeful they'll get the funding restored saying, "We are working with CMS and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to demonstrate our commitment to quality and safety and to excellent patient care."
The Pean family released this statement: "We are disappointed that St. Joseph Medical Center was unable to respond to calls for corrective action from the Department of Health and Human Services. St. Joseph is a hospital that serves many Houston-area residents who utilize Medicare and Medicaid funding to receive healthcare. However, patients must be able to reliably access safer, more compassionate care than what Alan received. The hospital's inability to make these corrective actions will no doubt be a significant blow to the community. Hopefully, the remaining avenues for St. Joseph to rectify its shortcomings and re-establish funding will motivate them to strive for a higher standard of care for Downtown Houstonians."
Local lawmakers, and medical leaders are working to find a way to keep the place open. One option is to form an advisory group of experts from other hospitals that could help find ways to improve and hopefully regain funding.
