Mistakenly removing healthy kidney may cost hospital Medicare funding

Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, may lose its Medicare funding because of safety and patient identification issues, including a very damaging mistake made by one surgeon.

According to the Boston Globe, prior to an operation, the surgeon checked a CT scan of the patient that showed a large tumor on the left kidney. However, that scan was for another patient with the same name, a fact which went unnoticed because the surgeon failed to use a second piece of identifying information, such as a birth date. The patient’s actual health record was missing a CT scan.

The mistake was discovered only after the perfectly healthy kidney had been removed and samples had been sent to the pathology lab.

While the hospital said its staff followed proper protocols, Massachusetts Department of Public Health inspectors found several patient ID problems at St. Vincent, including 30 surgical staffers who hadn’t been trained in identifying patients. The inspectors also said the hospital didn’t plan to thoroughly investigate the mix-up.

For more on the hospital’s issues and why CMS feels it has failed to make improvements quickly enough, click on the link below: