At Tuesday's board meeting, Laguna Honda interim CEO Roland Pickens laid out the hospital's progress in reaching federal and state recertification, two days before the hospital may have to begin discharging its patients once again.
The discussion comes after federal and state regulators cited safety concerns at Laguna Honda last April, stripped it of its Medicare and Medicaid provider agreements and required the hospital to move all 700 patients out of the facility by September. Among the concerns were drug paraphernalia in the facility, a lack of infection prevention and control, and missed doses of medication.
Thanks to a settlement agreement initiated by City Attorney David Chiu in the summer, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allowed the hospital to postpone patient discharges until February, and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) agreed to keep funding Laguna Honda, so long as they worked to find solutions to the cited issues.
Days before the no-eviction window closes, city supervisors and health leaders are once again concerned about the dangers of quickly discharging and transferring patients, many of whom have complex medical conditions.
The hospital alleges that of the 57 residents who were transferred into other facilities last summer, at least 12 died within three months.
