Feds terminate UMMC Medicare contract; hospital appeals decision

Federal officials said they terminated the Medicare contract with United Memorial Medical Center after the Houston hospital system failed yet another federal inspection. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the federal health insurance program for the elderly, said it will no longer reimburse United Memorial Medical Center for patients admitted to the hospital system after Tuesday. The loss of the contract would likely deal a crippling financial blow to United Memorial, which serves low-income neighborhoods and depends heavily on the federal reimbursements. Duni Hebron, spokesperson for the hospital, said United Memorial is appealing the decision, and filed for an emergency waiver.

The waiver would allow the hospital to continue to receive Medicare reimbursement for inpatient care because of the pandemic and remain in effect until the appeal was resolved or the COVID-19 public health emergency ended, she said. It’s unclear when the waiver will be processed. In the meantime, the hospital said it will continue to see Medicare patients even though it will not be reimbursed. “As it is,” Hebron said, “we already service 30 percent who don’t have any insurance.” United Memorial Medical Center was on the brink of having its Medicare contract terminated about a month ago after failing four inspections between January and September 2021. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, however, extended the termination deadline into January pending another inspection, which was conducted from Dec. 17-21. The hospital system failed again.