Osawatomie State Hospital prepares for high-stakes federal review

Kansas officials say conditions at Osawatomie State Hospital have improved dramatically since it lost Medicare certification last year, and the state psychiatric facility is ready for a high-stakes federal inspection.

Osawatomie lost certification in December after federal inspectors raised concerns about safety at the hospital, where a patient allegedly raped a staff member in October. Decertification has cost the state $8 million in federal aid so far. That amount will continue to climb by about $1 million a month until the hospital is recertified. The state also has spent nearly $8 million to address safety and other concerns that led to Medicare’s action.

The state has applied for recertification and set Aug. 30 as the date when the hospital will be ready for a new review by federal inspectors.

“We’re very confident that we’re ready to go,” said Tim Keck, acting secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, the agency that oversees the state’s hospitals.

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