King/Drew Medical Center Does Not Face Immediate Sanctions, Contrary to Earlier Report
Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, which received an unfavorable review from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education last week, will have at least two years to correct deficiencies in its physician training programs before actions are taken to close them, contrary to an ACGME spokesperson's statement last week, the Los Angeles Times reports (Ornstein/Weber, Los Angeles Times, 10/31). ACGME on Oct. 22 found King/Drew's oversight of its medical resident training programs to be substandard. The review will be the facility's second unfavorable rating unless the hospital successfully appeals the review. Last week, ACGME spokesperson Julie Jacob, said that if ACGME gives a hospital two unfavorable ratings, the council "will propose administrative withdrawal of accreditation of the institution's programs," which she said would mean closure of the hospital's 18 resident training programs (California Healthline, 10/23). However, Jacob this week said that she "had erred" in saying that the rules call for the immediate sanctions, adding that hospitals are given more time to improve before their programs are closed down, the Times reports. Cynthia Taradejna, executive director of ACGME's institutional review committee, said that the King/Drew programs received a "continued unfavorable" review, which recognizes that some efforts have been made to correct the previous citations. She added, "You want to give them some credit for that and not close them down." The ACGME decision to revoke accreditation for King/Drew's surgery and radiology residency programs effective June 2004 will stand (Los Angeles Times, 10/31).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.