State and federal officials will be taking a more aggressive role in enforcing safety standards at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston. Additionally, authorities will conduct a comprehensive audit of the hospital to ensure compliance with federal standards, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

The hospital is under fire for being in violation of key patient care requirements—including “serious problems” with nursing care, quality assurance and patient rights. A year-long investigation, spearheaded by the Houston Chronicle and ProPublica, highlighted a large number of patient mortalities and “unusual” surgical complications in past years.  

Hospital leaders are defending the care provided at the hospital, though changes in staffing were made to guide St. Luke’s through the turnaround process. Megan Fischer, who was recently named vice president of quality at St. Luke’s, is one such hire. 

“This is an important opportunity to focus our organization and conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation with CMS so that we can make the changes necessary to better meet CMS standards for patient care,” Fischer noted in a statement to employees. 

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