2 Reservation Hospitals Agree to Quality-Of-Care Changes
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Two government-run hospitals on Native American reservations in South Dakota have agreed to undertake significant quality-of-care changes.
This means the facilities on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations will keep receiving crucial federal funding.
The Indian Health Service, which administers the hospitals, announced Sunday that it met the deadline to reach last-chance remediation agreements for each facility with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The agreed-upon changes include the appointment of a monitor who will provide periodic progress reports, as well as the previously proposed privatization of the facilities' emergency rooms.
The agreement for the Rosebud Hospital, however, won't lead to the immediate reopening of its emergency room.
Both hospitals have faced challenges for years, but they've been under intense scrutiny recently after unannounced inspections uncovered serious deficiencies.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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