by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - The Skilled Nursing Unit staff were notified by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services that they are in receipt of the corrective plan of action. CMS encouraged the staff to stay on track with an April 26 deadline the hospital imposed on itself to correct a number of deficiencies that were noted during CMS' January visit.

CMS indicated that it will begin denying new admissions to the Skilled Nursing Facility later this month. Interim hospital administrator Rey Vega is hopeful that the deficiencies will be corrected in time to avoid the denials. The hospital has asked that it be given until August 31 to rectify the Life Safety Code violations that deal with structural issues. Vega will also be asking that CMS waive the one hundred dollar a day fine that was imposed as a result of the survey findings.