United Medical Center’s Possible Rebirth

2017 was not a good year for United Medical Center, a hospital in Washington D.C. It all began quietly until late August, when the hospital closed its obstetrics ward.

Management Issues

Previous incidents leading up the close centered on Veritas, a consulting company hired by Mayor Muriel Bowser to manage the hospital. According to reports, management began improper practices as soon as Veritas took the stage.

The Washington Post discovered the consulting company was grossly overpricing hotel stays, costing D.C. taxpayers approximately $7,400 per month. In more recent news, Julian Craig, the previous top doctor at the hospital, has filed a whistleblower case. He alleges Veritas cut personnel necessary for patient safety, forced other executives to resign after cutting pay and pressured staff members to admit patients who didn’t meet state and federal regulations to gain more profits.

Although Craig submitted complaints to top executives at the hospital, they were ignored. In November, he testified before the D.C. City Council, alleging “the hospital’s improper admission practices, malfeasance affecting patient health and safety, and submission of fraudulent statements to Medicare and Medicaid at the direction of Veritas” needed to stop.

Craig was fired after his testament.

Orders to Close

After inquiries into the obstetrics department’s screening, clinical assessment and delivery protocols, the Health Department ordered the maternity unit to temporarily close. It was decided the department would permanently close after officials discovered the hospital had depleted its cash reserve.

By January of 2018, United Medical Center was declared functionally bankrupt.

Patient Dies

Perhaps the final straw occurred with the death of an unnamed nursing home patient.

The final pleas of a 47-year-old man in United Medical’s nursing home were recorded on a tape obtained by the Washington Post in 2017. In it, viewers can hear the patient asking for help and complaining of breathing problems.

When a nurse came to investigate, the patient fell out of the bed. Instead of assisting him, she argued with his roommate, who was insisting she help the ill patient. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, the patient sat in his own feces and urine for 20 minutes before he was replaced in his bed. By then, he had stopped breathing. The cause of his death was announced as a heart attack.

UMC fired one nurse related to the event, but was adamant in maintaining no neglect had occurred.

“Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is prevalent,” states a trial attorney from Schenk Smith, a law firm that focuses exclusively on nursing home abuse and neglect. “These individuals trust professionals to care for them, and when experts take advantage of that belief, residents may need someone to speak for them.”

Changes

After the patient’s death in 2017 and as more horror stories unraveled from beyond UMC’s doors, changes were made. George Washington University Hospital took over management for some parts of the hospital and investigations ensued. Veritas has been replaced with Mazars USA, which hopes to right the wrongs inflicted from the previous agency.