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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is giving U.P. Health System—Marquette a clean bill of health.
The state agency released the results of their investigation into the hospital Monday.
This comes after nurses at the hospital filed a complaint regarding unsafe patient conditions due to inadequate staffing levels.
According to the report, upon government inspection, the hospital was found to be in compliance with Medicare conditions and deemed to meet necessary requirements.
A statement by the Michigan Nurses Association Monday stated they had not received official notification of the investigation and that none of the nurses who filed the complaint were interviewed by the state.
The nurses and Duke LifePoint have yet to come to a labor agreement and there’s been no word of any further bargaining sessions.
Here is the statement released by the hospital:
“In September, UPHS – Marquette was surveyed during an unannounced visit by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in response to claims made related to staffing and quality at the hospital. Late last week, we received the official findings of that survey and we are very pleased to report that the surveying authorities found zero deficiencies at our hospital.
It is noteworthy that while the primary focus of this survey was the subject of the complaints, any survey performed by regulatory authorities is comprehensive in order to ensure full compliance with accreditation standards. Numerous nurses and other staff were interviewed during the survey process, and scores of records were examined and analyzed. Receiving zero deficiencies from this team of highly experienced nurse surveyors is outstanding and a strong endorsement of the quality care being delivered daily at UPHS – Marquette. We know these results would not be possible without the hard work, dedication and tireless compassion of our employees, physicians and volunteers.
It is our privilege to serve the healthcare needs of our community, and we will continue working to deliver the very best care to those we serve.”
The Michigan Nurses Association released their own statement in regards to the report. Below is the statement from the Nurses Association:
“The Michigan Nurses Association has yet to receive any official notification regarding a state investigation of nurses’ complaints at UPHS Marquette, and we look forward to reviewing the full report and its methodology as it becomes available.
UP Health System Marquette nurses reported unsafe conditions to Duke LifePoint management on over 200 Assignment Despite Objection Forms between January 1 and August 24, documenting at least 783 consequences for patient care. Incidents of unsafe patient care were reported, including:
111 cases of one or more IVs running dry or medicines being given late
12 reports of one or more patient falls (4 in one day in one unit)
259 reports of one or more nurses going without breaks, lunches or being mandated to work shifts that could be dangerous to patients (up to 16 hours)
Common sense suggests that a proper investigation prompted by the ADO reports submitted to the state should include attempts to interview the nurses who filed the complaints. From what we understand so far, none of the nurses filing the ADO reports were contacted by state investigators regarding those documented incidents.
Marquette nurses will continue to advocate for the highest quality of patient care, because hospital safety is not a simple pass/fail endeavor. We have documented hundreds of patient safety concerns, and at this time, we are not convinced that the state has adequately looked into those issues.”
For more on this story, visit https://abc10up.com/2017/10/16/mdhhs-releases-statement-on-uphs-hospital-in-compliance/
