New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian has been ordered to pay $500,000 and make “sweeping” reforms as part of a settlement over its treatment of patients experiencing behavioral health emergencies.
Six things to know:
1. Following a yearslong investigation, the Office of the New York State Attorney General found NewYork-Presbyterian “engaged in a repeated pattern of failures that put vulnerable patients at risk,” according to an April 13 news release from the office. The investigation included testimony from providers and affected families and reviews of emergency department visit data, patient records, incident reporting systems and psychiatric bed capacity data.
2. A NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson said providing safe, high-quality care for patients with complex behavioral health needs is a priority, according to an April 13 statement shared with Becker’s.
“Since 2022 we have continued to strengthen policies and workflows, expand mental health capacity with inpatient beds and outpatient services, and improve safety — improvements that the Attorney General’s findings acknowledge,” the spokesperson said. “We are proud to have one of the largest behavioral health footprints of any multi-campus hospital in New York and remain committed to continuous improvement for our patients and the communities we serve.”
3. Specific concerns the attorney general’s office cited include failing to properly evaluate and stabilize patients in emergency departments and diverting ambulances from bringing behavioral health patients to the emergency department. In multiple instances, patients experiencing serious psychiatric symptoms, such as suicidal ideation and violent behavior, left the hospital without being properly discharged or transferred because of inadequate supervision and safety protocols, the release said.
4. The attorney general’s office also found that despite directions from state regulators and growing patient demand, the system did not bring all of its licensed inpatient psychiatric beds back online after the pandemic. More than 100 psychiatric beds were out of operation across the system as of May 2023, according to the release.
5. NewYork-Presbyterian has been ordered by the state to make changes to better serve patients and strengthen oversight, including:
- Major emergency department reforms, such as strengthening screening policies to identify risks including suicide and violence and improving patient safety and monitoring by establishing mandatory observation protocols.
- Elopement prevention measures, including requirements for staff to immediately escalate situations, notify leadership and fully document when a high-need patient goes missing.
- Health record upgrades to ensure providers have real-time access to full patient information and can follow care protocols.
- Care coordination improvements, including requirements for staff to review prior records, consult relevant databases and make efforts to contact a patient’s family members and document all outreach.
- Stronger discharge and admission planning, such as ensuring patients with complex needs leave the hospital with necessary follow-up care, including scheduled appointments.
6. In addition to the $500,000 settlement, NewYork-Presbyterian will face a $10,000 penalty per violation for any future violations of the settlement terms, the release said.
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