Medical negligence not cited in loss of accreditation report

Joan Rivers died last September while undergoing an endoscopy at Yorkville Endoscopy. She was 81 years old. The clinic is located in New York City. According to the Centers for Medicare Services, “Yorkville Endoscopy no longer meets the conditions for a supplier of ambulatory surgical center services.” This means that at the end of the month, the clinic will lose its accreditation.

What does this mean for the clinic? The clinic will not be able to bill Medicaid and Medicare for reimbursement through federal funding.

After the comedienne died, the clinic had to create a plan to take care of problems found during an investigation. The CMS, however, found that there were four areas where the clinic was still deficient. Those are:

— Environment

— Surgical services

— Governing body and management

— Quality assessment and performance improvement

While the report did not alleged negligence, Rivers’ death has been listed as a therapeutic complication. Rivers’ daughter Melissa, however, has retained a malpractice attorney to investigate her mother’s death.

The clinic released a statement saying that it plans to have the decision to revoke its accreditation reversed and that it is currently a licensed facility.

Victims of medical malpractice may be able to hold a doctor, surgeon, nurse, hospital or other staff or entity financially responsible for injuries or deaths. These are often complicated lawsuits, so it’s important to consider getting the help of an experienced Connecticut personal injury attorney. He or she can provide medical experts to dispute the findings of the defendants or those from experts on the defendant’s side.

Source: wfsb.com, “NY clinic linked to Joan Rivers’ death losing accreditation” Jan. 03, 2015