SILVERDALE, Wash. — A national leader in setting standards for healthcare organizations handed down a "preliminary denial of accreditation" to Kitsap County’s St. Michael Medical Center.
St. Michael Medical Center recently came under scrutiny after it was reported in October that a nurse in the emergency department called 911 requesting Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue crews to help with patients amid staffing issues.
Staff at the hospital later called for a leadership change and resignations after reaching a "breaking point."
St. Michael Medical Center, located in Silverdale, could lose its accreditation after more than 30 standards were found to be out of compliance, according to a quality check report filed on Sept. 6, following an on-site survey.
The standards found to be out of compliance ranged from "building and fire protection features" to "the hospital safely administers medications" and "the hospital inspects, tests, and maintains medical equipment."
Accreditation can impact Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Select-states, insurers and payors trust the hospital accreditation for payment approval and licensure eligibility, according to the Joint Commission.
The preliminary denial can be reviewed and appealed by the hospital. The formal accreditation denial comes after all review and appeal opportunities have been exhausted.
Chad Melton, president of St. Michael Medical Center, said the hospital takes findings for improvement "seriously." Melton also pointed out that the findings were focused on a specific patient population and not the emergency department as a whole.
"While there were no findings of adverse harm to any patients, we immediately developed and implemented an action plan to address any potential concerns, which was accepted by The Joint Commission," Melton said. "Following the action plan, St. Michael Medical Center was cleared through an initial on-site survey and we are in the process of receiving final clearance for full accreditation.”
In October, Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue Chief Jay Christian said “the charging nurse said twice, 'we’re drowning,' conveying that they only had five nurses on duty and 45 patients in their waiting room, and she was asking for help from local firefighters to come work inside of the ER to help relieve some of that pressure."
Earlier this month, UFCW 3000, the union that represents some hospital staff, released a petition calling for the resignation of the hospital's president and chief nursing officer. The petition stated multiple issues such as constant payroll errors, maintenance issues at St. Michael’s new facilities, and chronic staffing issues, have gotten worse.
St. Michael Medical Center said in a statement to KING 5 in October that it is working to manage “appropriate staffing levels” system-wide.
“At St. Michael Medical Center, similar to other hospitals in the state, we’ve been experiencing high patient volumes and staffing shortages. We continue to prioritize patients with the most urgent medical conditions, even when we are experiencing capacity challenges,” the statement said.