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Inos wants to meet with Medicare team
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Posted on Sep 04 2011
Acting governor Eloy S. Inos wants to meet with the team of Medicare representatives during or after the group’s inspection at the Commonwealth Health Center.
Inos confirmed Friday that he was briefed by Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez about the presence of the seven-member Medicare team, which has been checking the hospital since Monday last week.
Villagomez, Inos said, is setting up a schedule for his meeting with the group.
The Medicare team’s surprise visit is in relation to the investigation it conducted last year where it found numerous deficiencies at the public hospital.
Inos believes the serious financial shortage being experienced at the hospital may not have a grave impact on the overall findings of the Medicare team.
“The Medicare, as I understand, is looking over the facility and the policies—more on the general administration of the hospital. The emergency declaration, meantime, deals with financial aspects of the program. So whether or not Medicare will look into that, it’s for them to decide…but we’re in denial if we says we don’t have problems in the financial aspect of the hospital,” said Inos.
CHC, along with Tinian and Rota health centers, was placed under a state of emergency on July 21 due to the lack of supplies and services as a result of unpaid obligations to vendors.
Health Secretary Villagomez, after Friday’s proclamation, refused to be interviewed, saying he will just call a press conference later.
The secretary, in a previous visit to his office Thursday, also refused to disclose details about the Medicare visits and said he is not aware as to when the team will complete its inspection.
