|
Rivers died on Sept. 4 at the age of 81 in a New York
hospital a week after her heart stopped during an examination of
the back of her throat and vocal cords at the Yorkville
Endoscopy center on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said
Yorkville Endoscopy no longer meets the conditions for coverage
as a supplier of ambulatory surgical center services.
"It is necessary, therefore, that we terminate on January 31,
2015, the Medicare Health Benefits Agreement between Yorkville
Endoscopy LLC and the secretary," the CMS said in a letter to
the clinic.
The decision means the clinic will not be reimbursed for
services to Medicare beneficiaries under the program.
No one was immediately available at the clinic to comment on the
letter.
In November the CMS released a report listing various problems
at the clinic following an investigation by the New York State
Department of Health.
Among the issues cited were no medical records of medical
consent for all of the procedures performed. It also said the
physician failed to detect Rivers' deteriorating vital signs.
It added that an unannounced survey would be conducted at the
clinic to see if corrections were made. The survey done in
mid-December showed the clinic continued to be non-compliant,
the CMS said.
The CMS said the clinic can request a hearing if it does not
believe the decision to terminate the Medicare agreement is
correct.
Lawyers for Melissa Rivers, the only child of the comedian, are
investigating the circumstances surrounded her mother's death.
A representative for Melissa Rivers was not immediately
available to comment.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Alan Crosby)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
