RALEIGH - A large team of federal regulators arrived at Cherry Hospital on Tuesday to perform a top-to-bottom review of the state mental facility's operations and investigate new complaints of patient neglect and abuse at the Goldsboro hospital.
The group is expected to seek information on the beating of a patient by two hospital employees last week, as well as a previously undisclosed incident from December when a patient fell down a laundry chute.
The increased scrutiny could further imperil the hospital's ability to receive federal money, potentially costing North Carolina taxpayers millions in lost revenue.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services threatened this month to withdraw federal insurance reimbursements from the hospital after the April death of a patient who choked on his medication, hit his head and then was left sitting in a chair 22 hours while nearby staff played cards and watched television.
Federal officials have accepted a plan submitted by hospital administrators to address the multiple violations cited in a report last week. The surveyors now at the hospital, state employees working on behalf of the federal agency, are charged with making a recommendation by Sept. 1 as to whether Cherry's certification should be withdrawn. (N&O)
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