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Burbank Community : Hospital Closer to Having Clean Bill of Health

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Times Staff Writer

Burbank Community Hospital has corrected deficiencies in health care, staffing and administration and is in “overall compliance” with federal Medicare rules, Los Angeles County health officials said Wednesday.

County Department of Health Services officials said Burbank Community has taken a giant step toward solving health-care problems that plunged it into a controversy that has lasted most of the year.

The hospital came under intense scrutiny in September after it refused care to a transient. Federal health officials, based on a county health department investigation prompted by that incident, threatened to revoke the hospital’s Medicare status until deficiencies were eliminated.

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Despite the relatively clean bill of health by county officials, some problems still exist, county officials said. But they said none of the deficiencies found during a November survey is serious.

Officials of the county department’s health facilities division said they will continue to monitor Burbank Community to make sure that the remaining deficiencies are corrected and that standards are maintained.

‘On Road Out of Woods’

“We’re encouraged by the progress and Burbank Community is on the road out of the woods,” said Bud Pate, supervisor of hospitals for the health department. “But we will keep an eye on them to make sure they are no relapses.”

More than 20 deficiencies were found during an investigation last month, officials said. One of them involved the hospital’s failure to follow up on the conditions of patients suffering from complications from anesthesia after they were discharged.

Another deficiency regarded slow-moving drains in two patient bathrooms. Investigators also found that a kitchen aide had handled clean dishes without wiping his hands after washing dirty ones, Pate said.

None of the deficiencies found in the November survey was in administration, staff procedures, emergency treatment or quality medical assurance, county officials said. County investigators had found the hospital deficient in those areas when it originally surveyed it in September.

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Influence Federal Decision

The county’s most recent finding could influence a decision by the federal Health Care Financing Administration on whether to revoke the hospital’s Medicare status. Without federal authorization, the hospital would be ineligible to receive Medicare patients.

Pate said he will inform federal authorities that the hospital is following regulations if the county fire marshal determines that the hospital has met fire safety standards.

Pate added that the hospital will be required to submit a new plan of correction before the end of the year.

Tony Cecola, assistant administrator of professional and general services at the hospital, said hospital officials were not surprised by the county finding. He said they would submit a plan of correction in a few days.

Investigations of the hospital began after a transient, taken to Burbank Community when police found him covered with lice, was found collapsed outside the hospital the next day.

In spite of requests from police, the hospital refused to readmit the man, saying he already had been treated.

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Police took the transient to County-USC Medical Center, where doctors said he was

suffering from dehydration, anemia, malnutrition and alcoholic withdrawal.

In response to criticism by health authorities, the hospital announced plans to arrange transportation and shelter for indigent patients when they are discharged. Those plans are to be implemented by February.

Hospital administrators said they would also set up a monitoring program by department heads, officials and the board of directors to prevent deficiencies in medical care and staffing from occurring.

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