Reservation Hospital Under Federal Sanctions

PINE RIDGE, S.D. — The Indian Health Service says a South Dakota reservation hospital previously found to be violating quality-of-care standards is facing new federal sanctions.

IHS, the agency that administers the hospital on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, announced Friday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is placing the hospital on “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 hospital has previously been in the “immediate jeopardy” situation, but it was lifted in January.

IHS says the hospital has been notified it won’t be able to bill the government for services provided to those eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The agency didn’t immediately offer additional details to The Associated Press.

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