CMMC found to be in compliance by Medicare overseer

Courtesy / CMMC Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, with the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute in the background.

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By Staff

LEWISTON — Central Maine Medical Center has been found in compliance with safety and quality requirements by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the hospital announced Thursday.

CMS surveyors visited the hospital last week and said that it met standards set out after issues related to patient safety were found in a January report on the hospital's compliance with emergency room protocols. According to a CMMC news release, last week's visit determined:

The hospital was in compliance with a plan approved by the state in May.
There were no deficiencies.
The hospital remains in good standing for participation in Medicare and Medicaid.

In a February letter, CMS told the hospital its Medicare agreement would terminate May 4 if the hospital was found not to be in compliance. That deadline was later extended to June 30.

In April, a CMS survey team identified opportunities for improvement, largely relating to the hospital’s emergency department, and required CMMC to submit a plan of correction. At the time, CMMC President David Tupponce said he was confident the hospital would meet those goals.The plan was approved by the state last month.

“CMMC continues to provide safe, high-quality care to every patient,” Tupponce, who is also vice president of Central Maine Healthcare, said in Thursday's release. “That is, and always has been, our primary goal and our top priority.”

In each state, survey teams conduct routine unannounced inspections and interviews to make sure hospitals and other medical facilities are in compliance with standards (many established by the individual facilities) for patient safety and quality, the release said. Through “plans of correction,” most deficiencies are corrected satisfactorily.

At CMMC, process improvement, training and communication satisfied the corrective plan, officials said.

“We welcome state surveys, which are routine in every hospital, as they ensure that each and every facility works to offer the best care,” said John Alexander, chief quality officer at Central Maine Healthcare. “We were happy to work with CMS and the state of Maine, and got excellent guidance in this process.”

Alexander said that some of the process improvement focused on methods for patient evaluation and record-keeping in the emergency department, and included more training for staff.

“We believe there is always room for improvement, and we see this as part of our continuous improvement and evolution,” he said. "We will keep raising the bar.”

CMMC is part of Central Maine Healthcare system, which also includes Rumford and Bridgton hospitals and the Topsham Care Center.

CMMC has recently received accolades for quality, including two consecutive “A” safety grades from Leapfrog, the hospital-rating group; multiple accreditations in orthopedic surgery and advanced primary stroke care; and recertification as a Level 2 Trauma Center and in rehabilitation services. It has drastically reduced the number of hospital-acquired infections, the release said.

The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute was named one of the top 50 cardiovascular centers in the nation by IBM/Watson.