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LBJ CEO welcomes the “unannounced” visit of the CMS

It’s their usual practice Taufete’e says
joyetter@samoanews.com

Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Taufete’e John Faumuina welcomes the “unannounced” visit by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials, who arrived last Friday night. Taufete’e declined to further comment on the CMS visit, only telling Samoa News earlier this week that “it’s their usual hospital-wide visit” to conduct surveys and inspections of the hospital facilities and services. He said the hospital would be informed today (Friday) as to the standards of care.

Taufete’e further noted that it is a CMS policy and practice that their visits are unannounced, and the hospital is quite aware of it, as it had been done in the past.

The last time the CMS visited was back in December 2015 where CMS really emphasized that LBJ work on, Infection Control, Quality Assurance Performance Improvements (QAPI), and Discharge Planning, according to the CEO at the time.

Following their unannounced visit in December 2015, the CMS approved the opening of the new extension of the hospital’s dialysis and at the same time told LBJ that new staff must also be hired. He told Samoa News earlier this week that the CMS and the hospital will have the chance to meet after their hospital wide visit.

Last year the CMS informed the hospital that following their December 2015 visit the LBJ hospital’s Dialysis Unit (or End-Stage Renal Disease-ESRD) facility continues to be in noncompliance — and this may result in the termination of LBJ’s approval for Medicare coverage of dialysis services on October 31, 2016. However that did not happen as the hospital CEO and his staff made sure that they filed the appropriate paperwork and complied with the standards indicated by CMS.

Chairman of the hospital board Filifa’atali Mike Fuiava told Samoa News on Tuesday that, the board has yet to meet with the CMS team and they look forward to what the CMS findings are and if their are requirements for the hospital, they will act accordingly, but in the meantime, they are waiting.