Independent monitor appointed to oversee CT’s Waterbury Hospital amid healthcare violations

CT Post – Friday, November 22, 2024
By Liese Klein

The state Department of Public Health approved an independent monitor on Friday to oversee patient care at Waterbury Hospital, one of three Connecticut hospitals owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, a for-profit company that has come under scrutiny in recent months for staffing and equipment issues.

The DPH outlined the monitor’s role in a consent order issued Friday that also disclosed a $60,000 fine imposed on Prospect Medical relating to public health code violations at Waterbury Hospital.

Prospect, which owns Waterbury, Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals, is currently embroiled in a court battle with Yale New Haven Health over a deal made in 2022 to sell the three hospitals for $435 million.

Yale New Haven Health argued in a lawsuit filed earlier this year that Prospect has neglected the hospitals since the deal was struck and the New Haven system wants to pay less for the trio. Prospect has fired back in court filings, demanding that Yale honor the original deal.

The Department of Public Health ordered the independent monitor to supervise Waterbury Hospital after five surprise inspections, the most recent in May. Since violations of state laws were found in those inspections, Prospect must now sign a contract with an “independent expert compliance contractor” to make changes, according to the consent order.

In a statement, Waterbury Hospital said it was currently in compliance with “plans of correction” related to the DPH inspections and the hospital would be hiring the monitor under the consent order guidelines.

“We, along with our dedicated physicians, nurses, and other caregivers, remain committed to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and maintaining the confidence of the patients and families who trust us with their care,” the statement said.

The independent monitor will be stationed at the hospital 32 hours a week, including all three shifts, holidays and weekends, according to the consent order. The monitor will make monthly reports to state regulators and make sure Prospect fulfills promises it made to correct violations.

DPH’s actions on Friday don’t preclude legal moves against Prospect by “any state agency, municipal agency or the state,” according to the consent decree.

The California-based hospital system owes more than $100 million in state and local taxes, including the $10.5 million it owed in taxes to the city of Waterbury, as of earlier this year.

The document also specified that the consent order has “no bearing on any criminal liability” relating to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit or the Department of Criminal Justice’s Statewide Prosecution Bureau. State Attorney General William Tong’s office is investigating Prospect Medical’s operation in the state, but has made no recent comment on the probe’s status.

In what may be a preview of Tong’s actions, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry sued Prospect last month, alleging mismanagement and neglect at Crozer Health System that impacted care for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents.

Speaking at a Quinnipiac University event on Friday morning, Gov. Ned Lamont said that the state plans to take a more active role in making sure Prospect’s hospitals meet standards as the system’s court battles drag on.

“Priority number one for me right now is maintaining quality and patient safety,” Lamont said. “If they’re short-changing quality, we’re gonna have to make some changes.”

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