IHS: Pine Ridge hospital off ‘immediate jeopardy’ status

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – The Indian Health Service says an embattled South Dakota reservation hospital has made improvements after being found in violation of quality care standards.

IHS, the agency that administers the hospital on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, announced Friday that the hospital was removed from “immediate jeopardy” status.

That’s a term used when a hospital’s actions have caused or are likely to cause serious injury or death to a patient.

The agency said in December that federal inspectors determined the failures, primarily in the emergency department, constituted an immediate jeopardy situation.

IHS says that it quickly started making improvements and employed a corrective action plan. The agency says the hospital corrected the shortcomings cited by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.