SOUTHERN COLORADO – It was last week when AIM Home Health in Pueblo (a company that helps kids with special needs) found out its Medicare and Medicaid certification was being pulled.
On Monday, News 5 spoke with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment who said the situation started because a complaint was made about AIM earlier this year. That complaint prompted an inspection of AIM and an investigation.
It was in June when the Colorado State Service Agency visited AIM and gave the company two citations related to care planning and quality of care. CMS said AIM then received a letter in July stating CMS planned to terminate its provider agreement, but would give AIM the opportunity to correct the issues observed.
Officials said there was a revisit on August 31 and a situation of “immediate jeopardy” was found at AIM regarding staff having adequate training and competency. In many instances, certified nursing assistants or CNA’s were performing tasks that exceeded their abilities. Officials said it was putting patients at risk of harm.
In documents sent to News 5 the state outlines some situations that were cause for concern like suspected abuse that wasn’t reported, concerns about a CNA’s ability to provide tube feedings for patients, and failing to let a patient’s doctor know that the patient did not receive the full amount of bed time feeding.
AIM told News 5 last week that it put together a plan to correct these problems and completed it. The company thought state inspectors would be back. However, CMS said companies are not entitled to a second revisit. On September 14 CMS issued a second notice to AIM announcing their agreement would be terminated on September 19.
News 5 reached out to AIM again on Monday. In a statement it said “the Statement of Deficiency reaches
a sweeping conclusion that all 139 of patients of AIM who are receiving CNA services are in immediate jeopardy of serious harm or death. This conclusion without appropriate examples of patients subject to potential or actual harm cannot be maintained.”
AIM also stated that on August 31 the department of health promised AIM that a revisit would occur before the termination date.
Several families at AIM have said they will stay with the company till the very end.
AIM can appeal the non-compliance findings and they have about 60 days to do so.
