In April, a schizophrenic patient showed aggression while waiting in the hospital’s emergency room and was placed in a choke hold by a security guard. The patient died shortly after.
On behalf of CMS, inspectors from the state Department of Health and Human Services concluded the hospital failed to train contracted security guards on appropriate therapeutic physical holds or other appropriate restraints to calm the patients, according to the report.
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Inspectors also found the hospital did not have adequate nursing supervision to ensure the patient’s safety while the security guard restrained the patient.
CMS consequently gave Cape Fear Valley “immediate jeopardy” status and gave the hospital until Nov. 13 to rectify the deficiencies. Failure to do so will result in halted Medicare payments to the hospital. The hospital has also been slapped with a lawsuit filed by the dead patient’s mother.
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