See the update at the end of this post on state agencies agreeing on a plan to address deficiencies at Fairview Developmental Center.
ORIGINAL POST, JAN. 9, 6:07 A.M.: According to Fairview Developmental Center's philosophy statement, more than 300 developmentally disabled people who live there “need opportunities to grow, express themselves, and succeed.”
But the ability to succeed at Fairview may be in jeopardy after the state took steps to decertify the Costa Mesa facility, which could lose some Medicare funding as a result.
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Fairview displayed chronic failures in patient care during 2013, including situations of “immediate jeopardy,” according to a California Department of Public Health statement cited by the Orange County Register.
It's up to that department to certify state hospitals annually for continued Medicare funding, but Fairview's review uncovered “situations involving potential harm” to residents, including being out of compliance when it came to client protections, active treatment and health care services.
The state hospital, which houses 322 adults with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and intellectual disabilities, is now being closely monitored by state regulators, as are Porterville Developmental Center in Porterville and Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona, which were also found to be out of compliance with federal standards.
All three facilities have appealed their reviews and claim to be making changes to stave off decertification and loss of Medicare funding, which in Fairview's case would affect more than half of its residents.
UPDATE, JAN. 28, 10:06 A.M.: Department of Developmental Services spokeswoman Nancy Lungren issued the following statement regarding the California Department of Public Health's recent surveys of Fairview, Porterville, and Lanterman Developmental Centers:
“The Department of Developmental Services entered into an Agreement called a Program Improvement Plan (PIP) (beginning Jan. 16) with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to address deficiencies in the Intermediate Care Facilities at Porterville and Fairview Developmental Centers that were identified in surveys completed by CDPH in 2013. In addition, an Agreement was reached between CDPH and DDS for the monitoring and oversight of Lanterman Developmental Center to ensure services are being fully met during its closure activities.
“DDS recognizes these actions are necessary to ensure the health and safety of residents at the Centers and improvements have already been made. These Agreements constitute a 'stay' of termination from the Medicaid/Medi-Cal Program for all of the Centers' ICF units and continues the federal funding.”
So, Fairview's funding is safe for now.
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.