UNC Hospitals Late in Response to Deficiencies

The hospital's response was due June 14, 10 working days after the officials' receipt of the letter, said Jim Jones, media representative for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospital officials met last week to prepare a plan of action in response to deficiencies identified by the health department.

The details of the deficiencies will not be released until DHHS has reviewed the hospital's plan of action.

Tom Hughes, a spokesman for UNC Hospitals, said he was not sure why the hospital's response had not been sent on time.

He said he anticipated that the response would be sent to DHHS this week.

Kathryn Chappell, director of risk management for UNC Hospitals, is in charge of creating the response to the deficiencies.

Hughes said Chappell was the only person who knew about the status of the response.

Chappell was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Jones said he is not sure if there is a penalty for late submission but that someone from DHHS would be calling UNC Hospitals to urge them to send the response.

In an interview last week, Karen McCall, vice president of public affairs and marketing for UNC Hospitals, said the letter detailing the deficiencies was received by UNC Hospitals President and CEO Eric Munson on May 31.

It requested a response to "standard level deficiencies" cited during a survey of the hospital by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in May 2001, she said.

McCall said "standard level deficiencies" are the lowest level of urgency and does not affect Medicare and Medicaid funding status.

In addition to the cited deficiencies, CMS officials cited five separate complaints to which hospital officials must respond.

The CMS survey determines whether the hospital is in compliance with Medicare's conditions of participation.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.