During the run-up to the Guam primary election, Guam Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo put out many pieces of good-for-Guam developments in Washington, D.C. But she saved a particularly good one for after the balloting, in which she unexpectedly lost.
According to Bordallo, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will not terminate Guam Memorial Hospital Authority’s Medicare provider status at this time.
The agency said it will not proceed with a termination action against GMHA until a future compliance survey is completed. The hospital was in danger of having its Medicare provider status terminated as early as October 3, 2018, after an April 2018 survey found that it was out of compliance with several conditions for participation in the program. The decision not to pursue termination proceedings followed the submission of an allegation of compliance and evidence of correction by Guam Memorial Hospital Authority, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services determined to be credible.
The Centers noted that it continues to investigate a complaint regarding a fire at Guam Memorial Hospital Authority on July 27, 2018, which may affect future compliance enforcement actions.
“Guam Memorial Hospital is a critical provider of Medicare and Medicaid services on Guam. I am pleased that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has decided not to terminate GMH’s Medicare provider status, which would have had a devastating effect on healthcare for many in our community,” said Bordallo.
“I am encouraged by GMH’s submission and implementation of a Plan of Correction, and I hope that they will continue to live up to the standards required by the Medicare program. While this is good news to get GMH out of the immediate threat of Medicare decertification, I continue working to establish a federal task force to provide our public hospital with needed federal technical assistance improve the quality and delivery of service to our people.