(Le Mars) — A long-time nursing care facility in Le Mars has been instructed to close its doors and shut down by February 1st. The Abbey, has operated for 45 years. The reason for the closing is because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is terminating its contract with the Abbey, because of a
“history of serious quality issues”. Officials with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, say it is the first time a nursing care facility has been forced to close since 2009. The CMS, the federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid, says since March of 2014, has denied payments to the Abbey on six
different occasions. The Abbey houses 23 residents. The Special Focus Facility was created as a special program to stimulate improvements in the quality of care. The Abbey had been on the Special Focus Facility list for 29 months. Dawn Fisk is a Division Administrator with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. She says records indicate, The Abbey has been on the
C-M-S Special Facility list for some time.
Fisk says The Abbey failed to make the necessary improvements, and that is the reason it is losing its medicare and medicaid programs.
Fisk wouldn’t comment on the specific violations cited by the Abbey, only to say the violations are listed on the agency’s website. Many people may wonder what will happened to those residents currently living at The Abbey?
Fisk says the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals will oversee and supervise the activity at the Abbey until such time all of the residents will be moved and relocated.
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals official says there will be additional inspections made for the next month.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website, The Abbey rated “much below average” on health inspections and had been fined at least 10 times for substandard care.
