Los Angeles Times Examines Problems at Parkview Hospital
The Los Angeles Times on Saturday profiled the "critical condition" of Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside. The facility was dropped from Medicare and Medi-Cal in February when state inspectors concluded that hospital operations posed "immediate jeopardy" to patient safety. Shortly thereafter, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations gave Parkview a preliminary denial of accreditation. Although the government programs and the accreditation were ultimately restored, the actions have put Parkview "on the brink of failure" and forced the hospital to close its emergency room, pediatric unit and cancer unit, the Times reports. "It will be amazing if the hospital is able to survive this," Dr. William Jones, Parkview's chief of staff, said, adding, "We were already on the edge. Every dollar that came in went out. So this ... has been devastating." Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries have historically made up 70% of Parkview's patients, and as of Friday, only 27 of the hospital's 193 beds were filled. Lacking patients, most of Parkview's nurses have taken jobs elsewhere, the Times reports. Hospital officials say that inspectors overstated problems and delivered a punishment "so harsh it amounts to a deathblow." David Jarrard, Parkview's spokesperson, said, "All of this was supposedly done in the name of patient safety. But by forcing the hospital to close its ER ... (inspectors) put patients at a much greater risk. That's the irony." State inspectors will return to the hospital on May 15 to look for improvements (Dirmann, Los Angeles Times, 3/23).
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