Hospital gets federal inspection

Medicaid, Medicare reinstatement at stake

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

Federal inspectors Tuesday made a surprise visit to Broughton Hospital to do a complete review of the facility and its operations and possibly reinstate Medicaid and Medicare funding, state officials said.

Broughton has gone without Medicaid and Medicare funding since August, when the federal government halted payments amid concerns over a patient death and another patient injury.

If the Morganton hospital, one of the state's four mental-health facilities, passes inspection this week, funding could be reinstated within a few weeks, said Mark Van Sciver, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

The cuts have cost Broughton about $1 million a month.

Van Sciver said state officials should know by Friday whether inspectors recommend reinstating Medicaid and Medicare funding. The federal inspection is expected to last the whole week.

Since August, a team of state doctors and consultants has been working at the hospital to identify and fix problems, reorganize clinical staff and retrain every employee, from housekeepers to doctors.

Broughton serves about 4,000 patients each year from the state's 37 westernmost counties and has about 1,200 employees and a $77 million budget.

All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.