Johns Hopkins All Children’s on brink of losing Medicare funding

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, could lose its Medicare funding if it doesn’t shape up after a recent inspection found serious problems at the institution, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

The threat of loss of funding is the latest outcome in the ongoing scandal at All Children’s, which began when the Tampa Bay Times uncovered the heart surgery unit’s mortality rate had tripled over a short period of time. The report led to several resignations of executives at the hospital, including the chief executive.

Following its recent inspection from regulators, the hospital has been cited for not meeting federal rules on infection control, quality improvement, its hiring and management of doctors and leadership structure, the TBT reported. The regulators threatened to cut off public funding in light of the revelations if the hospital does not correct the problems by Feb. 23.

“We have developed—and are actively implementing—a comprehensive action plan to address areas that were identified by the surveyors as needing corrective action,” All Children’s spokeswoman Kim Hoppe told the TBT.

About 65 percent of the hospital’s patients were billed to public health programs in 2017, according to the TBT.

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Amy Baxter

Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."

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