EAST HOLLYWOOD: Medicare Funds Withdrawn From Hospital

      Federal officials terminated Medicare funding Wednesday for East Hollywood's Edgemont psychiatric hospital, citing "severe deficiencies in nursing care," the Los Angeles Times reports. Edgemont had been under investigation since February, after three patients died within five weeks. Brenda Klutz, deputy director for licensing and certification at the California Department of Health Services, described termination of Medicare funds for an acute psychiatric facility as a "very rare" occurrence. The cutoff will force the hospital to stop accepting Medicare patients, and Edgemont will be able to collect payment for its 40 Medicare patients for only 30 more days. The hospital, however, plans to stay open. "We are committed to service as an organization and we are confident we will continue to serve this community. We have appeal rights and other remedies that we are exploring," the hospital said in a press release (Marquis, 5/18).