Jacksonville, N.C.-based Brynn Marr Hospital may lose Medicare funding following a federal investigation that found the facility violated safety measures, Carolina Public Press reported May 12.
The investigation, which took place from December 2022 until March, was spurred by complaints that alleged mistreatment of patients and sexual assault of a minor.
Investigators substantiated claims of compromised patient safety, lack of daily visits from a psychiatrist, improper diet for patients prone to nausea and vomiting, as well as failed communication of facility and unit rules, according to records from the state's department of health and human services obtained by the publication.
Claims of sexual assault, lack of proper sanitation, not allowing patients to use a phone and misrepresentation of unit type before admission were not substantiated.
In February, the facility was placed in immediate jeopardy by CMS after an adolescent patient escaped the hospital.
Immediate jeopardy means the hospital has failed to meet one or more federal health, safety or quality regulations and that serious injury, harm, impairment or death has occurred or is likely to occur to one or more patients, and immediate action is necessary. This is the most severe citation a hospital can receive from the federal regulatory agency.
This citation was removed in March, though the hospital is still in noncompliance with every category of Medicare's conditions of participation.
The hospital has since submitted a corrective action plan to CMS. If the facility is not found in compliance by June 2, it will lose Medicare funding and may close down as a result, according to the publication.
"We are confident that we will demonstrate substantial compliance upon resurvey prior to June 2, 2023," Cynthia Waun, Brynn Marr CEO, said in a statement shared with the publication. "Brynn Marr Hospital is committed to providing the highest standards of psychiatric care to adults, adolescents and children."