Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/821337
72 CMO / CARE DELIVERY CMS Investigation Into SC Hospital Prompted by Restrained Patient's Death By Ayla Ellison A er a patient who was strapped to a gurney died of traumatic asphyxia- tion Greenville (S.C.) Memorial Hos- pital, part of Greenville Health System, CMS conducted an investigation and found several deficiencies. e patient, 48-year-old Donald Smith, died March 6 aer a fight with a hospital security officer. Mr. Smith, who was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm, re- portedly became combative while in the hos- pital, hitting a hospital security guard. Aer a struggle, hospital security personnel secured him face down on a gurney. Greenville Coun- ty Coroner Parks Evans concluded Mr. Smith's manner of death was homicide — one person being killed by another. Mr. Smith's death led to a CMS investigation of Greenville Memorial Hospital. e agency determined the hospital was not in compli- ance with Medicare rules related to nursing services, patient rights and governing body. CMS will not make payment to the hospital for services provided to patients who are ad- mitted aer April 16 unless the problems are corrected. In a statement on Greenville Memorial Hos- pital's website, Scott M. Sasser, MD, chair of emergency medicine at Greenville Health Sys- tem, said, "Nearly all action plan items have already been initiated, and we feel confident that CMS will find our plan — and its imple- mentation — satisfactory." e hospital said its action plan for its emer- gency department includes increasing staff- ing, providing more intensive training and improving clinical documentation processes around patient care. e South Carolina Law Enforcement Divi- sion is investigating Mr. Smith's death, and the security officers who were on duty at the hos- pital at the time of the incident no longer work at the hospital. n Man Arrested for Impersonating a Nurse Practitioner at California Medical Clinic By Heather Punke A 39-year-old man with no medical training was arrested and charged with identity theft and practicing without a license after posing as a nurse practitioner at a medical clinic in San Francisco. Chad Brian Litz pretended to be an NP for four months at the San Francisco City Impact Health & Wellness Center, a free medical and dental clinic that accepts nonmedical and medical volunteers, ac- cording to NBC Bay Area news. Mr. Litz volunteered at the clinic, where he treated at least 28 pa- tients and prescribed medications, including controlled substanc- es. To get the volunteer position, he presented a forged certificate from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, as well as other forged documents. According to the clinic's website, medical volunteers must submit an online form, meet for a "brief" interview and go through a "brief" orientation before starting. In a statement to NBC Bay Area news, the clinic's executive director, Christian Huang, said Mr. Litz volunteered during a time when the clinic's patient volume was low. "Our clinic's scope of practice was very limited at the time because of its infancy," the statement reads. Mr. Litz was arrested March 10 and arraigned March 30. He pleaded not guilty and his bail was set at $65,000. City Impact did not immediately return a Becker's request for com- ment. n 2 Patient Suicides in 8 Days Reported at Montefiore Medical Center By Heather Punke T wo patients at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y., killed themselves in the span of eight days, according to the New York Daily News. One 76-year-old man killed himself in the bath- room of his room on March 28, and on March 21, a 77-year-old man was found with a rope around his neck on the hospital's seventh floor, according to the report. "We are deeply saddened by these recent events and our hearts go out to the affected families and staff," the hospital said in a statement to Becker's. "In the wake of these two unrelated events, staff and family members are being offered grief coun- seling services. We will continue to monitor and support the families and our associates through this difficult time." Suicide was the fourth most common sentinel event in 2016, according to The Joint Commission, with 87 reported to the accrediting organization. In 2016, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert, "Detecting and treating suicide ide- ation in all settings," which aims to help clinicians identify patients at risk for suicide and provides an eight-step plan to prevent inpatient suicide. n