"NBC News obtained photos of Bayonet Point Hospital, provided by insiders, revealing ceiling leaks, equipment secured with tape, backed-up sinks, and cockroaches found in the operating room."
The CEO of HCA Florida Bayonet Point, the Hudson, Florida hospital that was alleged to have roaches in the operating room, has resigned from the position, as per a memo delivered to the staff on July 28. Regina Temple, the former CEO, is leaving "to pursue other opportunities outside HCA Healthcare, effective immediately." This departure came as a surprise to the hospital's physicians, who mentioned that Temple was involved in long-term initiatives at the hospital until mid-July. As of now, an acting chief executive will be taking over the position. Temple did not respond to a request for comment.
CEO of HCA Hospital in Florida, Criticized for Roaches in Operating Room, Resigns
The chief executive of HCA Florida Bayonet Point, a hospital located in Hudson, Florida, which had been previously criticized by its physicians for being unsafe and unclean, has resigned after less than four years in the position. According to a memo delivered to the staff on July 28, Regina Temple, the former CEO, is leaving "to pursue other opportunities outside HCA Healthcare, effective immediately." The departure appeared sudden to the hospital's physicians, as Temple was actively involved in long-term initiatives until mid-July.
HCA Healthcare, the nation's largest hospital chain with over 180 hospitals in the U.S. and U.K., has faced scrutiny from some doctors and nurses who claim that profit-oriented practices have been prioritized over patient care. In June, NBC News reported that 27 doctors at 16 HCA facilities alleged that officials pressured doctors to admit patients to hospice care, potentially influencing in-hospital mortality rates, a significant quality measure, to increase revenue. HCA's spokesperson denied these claims, stating that medical care in their hospitals is solely based on physicians' independent medical judgment for the patient's best interest.
In the previous NBC News report in February about Bayonet Point Hospital, four physicians working there revealed concerns about hospital leadership prioritizing cost-cutting for profits and bonuses, which they believed endangered patient safety. They cited issues with unsanitary surgical instruments, inadequate monitoring of ICU patients, and an overwhelmed emergency department. The situation worsened when the hospital replaced its longstanding anesthesiology professionals with per diem staff, leading to errors, including a patient waking up during surgery.
Insiders provided photos of Bayonet Point, revealing several concerning issues in the facility. The pictures depicted ceiling leaks in a recovery room, oxygen equipment secured with tape, bloody and backed-up sinks, wires hanging from a hole in the wall, and even cockroaches present in the operating room.
The CEO of HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital in Hudson, Florida, which was previously criticized for alleged roaches in the operating room, has resigned after less than four years, according to a memo delivered to the staff on July 28. Regina Temple, the former CEO, is leaving "to pursue other opportunities outside HCA Healthcare, effective immediately." The departure was unexpected to hospital physicians, as she was involved in long-term initiatives until mid-July. An acting chief executive will be taking over the position.
HCA Healthcare, the largest hospital chain in the U.S. and U.K., has faced criticism from some doctors and nurses who claim that practices prioritize profits over patient care. In June, NBC News reported that 27 doctors at 16 HCA facilities alleged officials pushed them to admit patients to hospice care, potentially influencing in-hospital mortality rates and freeing up patient beds for revenue generation. HCA's spokesperson denied these claims, emphasizing that medical care in their hospitals is based on physicians' independent medical judgment for the patient's best interest.
The earlier NBC News report about Bayonet Point revealed concerns from four physicians regarding hospital leadership's focus on cost-cutting, potentially compromising patient safety. The physicians mentioned issues with unsanitary surgical instruments, inadequate monitoring of ICU patients, and an overwhelmed emergency department. After replacing longstanding anesthesiology professionals with per diem staff, errors occurred, including a patient waking up during surgery. Insiders' photos further depicted ceiling leaks in a recovery room, oxygen equipment held with tape, bloody and backed-up sinks, wires hanging from a hole in the wall, and cockroaches in the operating room.
At that time, Temple declined an interview, and a spokeswoman for the Level 2 trauma center assured the hospital's appropriate staffing for patient care while stating they take necessary action based on physicians' feedback.
Public records revealed deficiencies in the hospital's quality of care after the NBC News report. The Agency for Health Care Administration identified issues in ensuring the immediate availability of a registered nurse in five of its nursing care units. Staff members also expressed concerns about night shift nurse supervision and staffing levels.
In addition to the previous issues, a March 28 complaint by AHCA revealed an alarming incident at Bayonet Point Hospital. The complaint indicated that the hospital failed to ensure a safe discharge for a Spanish-speaking patient who was left unattended in the hospital lobby. Later, the patient was found disoriented and sitting at a local bus stop, where he had been for over 24 hours. The report highlighted that Bayonet Point lacked a policy for nursing staff regarding patient discharges.
Following the AHCA complaint, subsequent visits by the agency found that the deficiencies were corrected, and no further shortcomings were identified.
After NBC News' February report, two Republican members of Congress from Florida, Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Gus Bilirakis, addressed HCA Healthcare with a letter requesting information about the conditions and safety at Bayonet Point. It remains unclear how HCA responded, as Congress is on summer hiatus, and the hospital's spokeswoman declined to provide the response to NBC News.
According to two physicians, conditions at Bayonet Point Hospital have shown little improvement in recent months. In April, the hospital faced a breakdown of the air conditioning system, resulting in high humidity levels that contaminated surgical instrument trays. As a consequence, the hospital had to send these instruments and trays to other facilities for sterilization, causing the operating room to be closed for a week.
Despite efforts, the issue with cockroaches in the operating room persists, as mentioned by the doctors. They even recounted an incident where a staff member placed two insects in specimen jars, labeled them, and left them on the main desk in the operating room.
On July 26, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid updated its hospital comparison website and gave HCA's Bayonet Point facility an overall rating of one star out of five, which is well below average. The hospital's previous rating was also one star, which the hospital's spokeswoman stated in February was based on outdated data from 2017 to 2019. According to the spokeswoman, the hospital had made improvements to its quality since then, a claim that the new rating from CMS does not support. However, the hospital spokeswoman declined to comment on the new one-star rating.
In the previous NBC News report in February, Bayonet Point had an 'A' rating for patient safety from Leapfrog Group, an organization that evaluates hospitals and identifies itself as a healthcare watchdog. When the facility received that ranking from Leapfrog in November 2021, the former CEO, Temple, stated that the grade validated their commitment to safety.
According to recent ratings released by Leapfrog in May, Bayonet Point Hospital no longer receives a grade. The facility chose not to participate in the survey, as stated on the Leapfrog website. Previously, HCA had cited Leapfrog ratings as evidence of its high quality and commitment to patient safety. However, the hospital's spokeswoman declined to provide reasons for Bayonet Point's decision not to participate in the Leapfrog survey.
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