GMH submits corrective action plan to CMS

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - The Guam Memorial Hospital's corrective plan of action for deficiencies cited at the Skilled Nursing Facility in Barrigada Heights is in the mail. Interim hospital administrator Rey Vega confirms that corrective action has already been taken for a number of areas of concern. 

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services required the plan of action be submitted by Monday after noting numerous deficiencies during a survey of the SNU facility back in January. For the Life Safety Code violations such as replacing of doors, the hospital asked that it be given until August 31 to come into compliance as the items must be procured and cannot be completed within the prescribed deadline. 

Officials will wait on CMS's review of the plan before asking that the one hundred dollar a day fine that is currently accruing, be waived.  Vega meanwhile is confident that CMS will accept their corrective plan and will continue to pay for new admissions at the SNU even next month when the organization threatened to stop.