Access to health care for hundreds of patients at Modesto hospital is uncertain

By Yosi Yahoudai
Founder and Managing Partner

Hundreds of patients of the Stanislaus Surgical Hospital in Modesto could soon lose access to care.The hospital is set to be removed from the Medicare program by April 30 after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services determined it was out of compliance with nine requirements.Patrick Haley, spokesperson for the hospital, said this means they will be unable to provide care to Medicaid and Medi-Cal beneficiaries.In a routine inspection completed by the California Department of Public Health on behalf of the CMS, inspectors found health and safety issues.“One was over a door to the endoscopy suite, which had been here for at least 20 years and through other inspections, but it didn’t meet standards,” Haley said.Haley said the issues have already been fixed.KCRA 3 reached out to CMS to ask what issues were found but has not gotten a response as of Thursday night.The hospital said 60% to 80% of its patients fall under the Medicare program.”It’s going to dump hundreds and hundreds of patients on the community to find a place to get taken care of,” Haley said.The removal from the Medicare program will also impact more than 180 employees who could be laid off.“The morale is pretty bad with the staff, a lot of people have worked here well over 20 years,” Haley said.The hospital said it’s appealing the federal decision to be dropped from the Medicare program.”We want to be enrolled in the program. There’s a lot of paths to doing this. We hope that they will re-review the information or give us a chance to respond,” Haley said.The California Department of Public Health said it’s ready to support the hospital as it works through the federal CMS process.In a statement to KCRA 3 CDPH Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said, “I and the team at CDPH remain committed to ensuring access to high-quality services in all parts of California, we stand ready to support the facility in its ongoing pursuit to serve the community.”The hospital has stopped scheduling Medicare and Medi-Cal patients after April 30.

MODESTO, Calif. —

Hundreds of patients of the Stanislaus Surgical Hospital in Modesto could soon lose access to care.

The hospital is set to be removed from the Medicare program by April 30 after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services determined it was out of compliance with nine requirements.

Patrick Haley, spokesperson for the hospital, said this means they will be unable to provide care to Medicaid and Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

In a routine inspection completed by the California Department of Public Health on behalf of the CMS, inspectors found health and safety issues.

“One was over a door to the endoscopy suite, which had been here for at least 20 years and through other inspections, but it didn’t meet standards,” Haley said.

Haley said the issues have already been fixed.

KCRA 3 reached out to CMS to ask what issues were found but has not gotten a response as of Thursday night.

The hospital said 60% to 80% of its patients fall under the Medicare program.

“It’s going to dump hundreds and hundreds of patients on the community to find a place to get taken care of,” Haley said.

The removal from the Medicare program will also impact more than 180 employees who could be laid off.

“The morale is pretty bad with the staff, a lot of people have worked here well over 20 years,” Haley said.

The hospital said it’s appealing the federal decision to be dropped from the Medicare program.

“We want to be enrolled in the program. There’s a lot of paths to doing this. We hope that they will re-review the information or give us a chance to respond,” Haley said.

The California Department of Public Health said it’s ready to support the hospital as it works through the federal CMS process.

In a statement to KCRA 3 CDPH Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said, “I and the team at CDPH remain committed to ensuring access to high-quality services in all parts of California, we stand ready to support the facility in its ongoing pursuit to serve the community.”

The hospital has stopped scheduling Medicare and Medi-Cal patients after April 30.

About the Author

Yosi Yahoudai is a founder and the managing partner of J&Y. His practice is comprised primarily of cases involving automobile and motorcycle accidents, but he also represents people in premises liability lawsuits, including suits alleging dangerous conditions of public property, third-party criminal conduct, and intentional torts. He also has expertise in cases involving product defects, dog bites, elder abuse, and sexual assault. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California and is admitted to practice in all California State Courts, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. If you have any questions about this article, you can contact Yosi by clicking here.

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