Anoka-Metro
Regional Treatment Center returns to full federal compliance
After two recent unannounced inspections by federal
regulators, Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center has returned to full
compliance with federal rules for hospital operations and patient care.
The state-operated psychiatric hospital in Anoka treats
patients with complex mental illnesses and behavioral health conditions. The
110-bed facility serves the entire state.
Improvements focused on patient rights, nursing services, treatment
planning, quality assurance and performance improvement. Implementation
involved changing a wide variety of policies and practices.
“The entire team at Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center
has worked hard to bring about this crucial turnaround for patients, their
families and the staff,” said Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper. “We’ve
been focused on changing the way we do things. In a very challenging
environment, we are on the right track.”
Three separate investigations in 2015 found the Anoka
hospital out of compliance with one or more federal regulations related to patient
care and hospital operations. To correct
the deficiencies and avoid losing federal funding, the facility and the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services entered into a systems improvement agreement to bring the hospital into
compliance.
After determining that the hospital successfully completed
the systems improvement agreement, CMS will drop an earlier decision that would
have blocked the hospital from billing Medicare and Medicaid.
The Anoka hospital worked closely with two outside consultants approved
by the federal regulators. One consultant helped develop a detailed plan of
correction, and the other helped implement the plan.
The Minnesota
Hospital Association served as one of the consultants. As a nationally
recognized leader in helping hospitals improve patient care and safety, the
Hospital Association analyzed processes and systems at the Anoka facility and
made recommendations for the corrective action plan.
“We
were pleased to partner with DHS and Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center to
ensure patient safety and improve the delivery of consistent, high-quality care
in service of patients,” said Dr. Rahul Koranne, chief medical officer of the
Minnesota Hospital Association. “These improvements will result in a
stronger continuum of mental health services, which will benefit patients,
families and communities across Minnesota.”
The Department of Human Services has been working to increase patient
capacity at Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center and to attract and retain
employees at the facility and six Community Behavioral Health Hospitals, which
together make up Minnesota’s system for patients with the most severe mental
health issues. Governor Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature provided
increased funding in both 2015 and 2016.
Last year, the Anoka hospital received $2.3 million for building
projects to improve patient safety and has spent an additional $1.3 million to
eliminate physical features that patients could use to hang themselves. New
federal regulations require all hospitals to eliminate these so-called ligature
points.
During the recent 2018 legislative session, lawmakers approved $6.55 million
to pay for extensive roof and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning repairs
at the hospital. However, they did not provide an additional $5.79 million that
Gov. Mark Dayton requested to remodel vacant space into a specialized
admissions and crisis unit to evaluate new patients at the hospital.
A separate admissions space would allow clinical staff to observe new
patients for a sufficient period of time before determining which of the
hospital’s six patient care units is most appropriate for their conditions,
rather than just admitting them to any unit with an open bed. “It’s better for
individual patients and better for the safe management of the total patient
population,” Commissioner Piper said. “Adding an admissions-crisis unit at the
hospital will continue to be a top priority for us.”
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