Kansas will seek recertification of Osawatomie State Hospital

Plans are underway to seek Medicare recertification for Osawatomie State Hospital, a process that could take three to six months, a state official told a joint legislative committee Thursday.

Tim Keck, interim secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, said a consultant will be hired to help the department prepare for recertification, including performing a mock survey in early February.

“We believe that we would be ready and complete recertification within three to six months,” Keck said.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told the hospital in November that Medicare would stop reimbursements for patient care.

That notice came after a survey found that the hospital, one of two state-run psychiatric hospitals, had failed to protect suicidal patients, properly supervise care and perform safety checks.

Keck said the state hadn’t decided whether to appeal the decertification, which is still an option.

“We are investigating whether or not it makes sense for us to do that,” he said.

Lawmakers from both parties sharply questioned Keck about understaffing, which they see as a culprit in the hospital’s problems. Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, said the hospital needs more staff “right now, yesterday.”

“I think we’re spinning our wheels if we don’t make a firm commitment to get that staffing level back up,” said Sen. Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican.

Legislators voiced concern that Keck had not asked for additional funds in the current budget and for fiscal year 2017. Keck said he was analyzing whether more money is needed and would have the answer quickly.

“It does come down to staffing,” Keck said. “I assure you we are addressing that issue.”

Medicare payments for new patients at Osawatomie, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, ended in December and for existing patients this week. The loss of reimbursements could cost the state $900,000 a month.

Inspectors found several safety issues last fall. The staff had assigned an aggressive female patient to share a room with a woman in a wheelchair, and a male patient with a history of criminal sodomy was placed in a women’s hallway.

In October, a staff member was raped by a patient, and the Medicare agency said proper security checks on the patient had not been made.

Inspectors said a technician had documented a room check near the time of the October incident, but video records showed no such check. Keck said he has made it clear to hospital staff there will be no tolerance of record falsification.

Although the hospital has space for 206 patients, plans are to keep the number at the current 146, particularly because of staffing issues, said Bill Rein, commissioner of behavioral health services.

Rein said the chief staffing problem is recruitment, including of direct care staff. Nurses and other medical workers are in high demand.

“It is very hard to attract people to rural areas,” Rein said.

Asked if privatization was an option for the hospital, Keck said, “Everything’s on the table.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Kansas will seek recertification of Osawatomie State Hospital."