OLYMPIA--The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) completed its resurvey of Western State Hospital (WSH) today. The re-survey will determine if the hospital can retain its certification and remain eligible for nearly $65 million in yearly federal funding.
The re-certification survey is the part of the Systems Improvement Agreement (SIA) between the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), which oversees state-operated psychiatric hospitals, and CMS to ensure WSH meets Conditions of Participation) necessary for certification. The agreement was signed in June 2016 after CMS found several deficiencies at the 857-bed hospital and gave the hospital up to 13 months to correct issues.
Twenty three surveyors arrived at the hospital on Monday, May 8 to inspect wards and treatment plans, as well as interview staff and perform other actions necessary to review the 20 Conditions of Participation that must be met in order for the hospital to retain its certification. During their review, surveyors identified a few areas of serious concern including issues related to fire protection and alarm systems; rehabilitation services and durable medical equipment; and the potential for hospital visitors to bring illegal substances onto the premises. CMS is anticipated to return to review and ensure agreed upon mitigation strategies have been implemented as planned.
“Western State Hospital respects the expertise and feedback of the state and federal surveyors who visited our hospital over the past 18 days,” said Cheryl Strange, WSH Chief Executive Officer. “Their insight has, and will continue to help our efforts to improve patient care and increase the safety and security of both patients and staff.”
For the past 11 months, hospital staff has focused on improving operations with a particular emphasis on the following areas to enhance the care and safety at the facility:
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Active treatment and treatment planning
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Patient care and rights
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Safety and security for patients, staff and the community
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Leadership and accountability
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Recruitment, hiring, training and employee engagement
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Maintaining buildings and grounds
“We look forward to receiving the CMS surveyors’ findings,” said DSHS’ Behavioral Health Administration Assistant Secretary Carla Reyes. “Our team at Western has been working hard to improve the quality of care and safety for patients, staff and the community. The team is dedicated to making all of the necessary improvements today and going forward. We hope our work has earned us the opportunity to retain our certification once CMS shares its findings with us. Regardless of the outcome, this will not be the end of our transformational journey, but the beginning of our quest to maintain excellence in care and safety at Western State Hospital.”
It is expected that DSHS will be notified of the results prior to the end of the SIA agreement in July. More information about the agreement can be found on the DSHS website.