A deadly surgical fire results in CMS scrutiny

The case of Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, IL, shows just how important surgical fire prevention is for a hospital in terms of bad publicity and Medicare reimbursement.

As noted in my HealthLeaders Media story last month, on September 2 a flash fire occurred on a patient undergoing surgery at Heartland Regional. That patient later died of her injuries.

I just read earlier today from the Marion Daily Republican that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has threatened to pull the hospital’s participation in the Medicare program due to the fire being an instance of immediate jeopardy to patient safety.

This escalating series of events no doubt received the attention of Heartland Regional’s CEO and other executives, and likely is being debated among the residents living in the local community.

I wasn’t at the hospital at the time of the fire and don’t have details on what exactly happened in that OR. But of the myriad concerns you deal with as a safety officer or facilities director, don’t lose focus on surgical fire awareness among clinicians, because even one mishap has the ability to snowball into something much worse.