Larned State Hospital
photo-Kansas News Service
TOPEKA – Larned State Hospital (LSH), one of the two state-operated psychiatric hospitals in Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), has been granted full accreditation by The Joint Commission. The accreditation was effective beginning December 9, 2017, and is valid for 36 months, according to a media release.
The Joint Commission is a nonprofit organization that accredits more than 21,000 US health care organizations and programs. A majority of state governments recognize Joint Commission accreditation as a condition of licensure for the receipt of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
“Joint Commission accreditation is known as an indicator of quality treatment and care nationwide,” KDADS Secretary Tim Keck said. “I want to acknowledge all the hard work LSH staff and management put in to be granted this status. I am incredibly proud of the work that has been done there.”
“After a period of concern at the hospital during the summer, LSH had two excellent surveys in December,” Secretary Keck said.
Bill Rein, LSH Superintendent, was informed of The Joint Commission’s decision on accreditation in a letter dated February 27 from Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, Chief Operating Officer for the Joint Commission. The letter said, “Based upon the submission of your evidence of standards compliance on February 9, 2018, and the successful on-site unannounced Medicare deficiency follow-up event conducted on January 19, 2018, the areas of deficiency have been removed.”
“The Joint Commission is also recommending your organization for continued Medicare certification effective December 9, 2017,” the letter said.
Superintendent Bill Rein said, “It took a lot of intense work on the part of staff to get us to where we are, and they deserve a great deal of credit for their commitment and tenacity. I am extremely pleased with results they achieved.”
All conditions of participation for Medicare certification and all standards for The Joint Commission accreditation are now listed as compliant. As a result, LSH has no requirements for improvement.
The central offices for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and CMS Region 7 have been notified of these findings.