DHHS, CMS find no deficiencies in UNC’s pediatric heart surgery program
A federal review of UNC Hospital’s pediatric cardiology unit found “no current deficiencies” in the program just two months after the New York Times published an article suggesting the unit was in “total disarray.”
The AP reported that both the DHHS and CMS reviewed the hospital’s congenital heart program, which, according to the Times piece, had been experiencing higher-than-normal death rates among young patients undergoing heart surgery. In a recording captured during a meeting in 2016, the Times reported chief of pediatric cardiology Tim Hoffman said UNC Children’s was “in crisis, and everyone is aware of that.”
Shortly after the Times published its article, North Carolina’s secretary of health called for an investigation into the hospital’s pediatric heart surgery unit.
The AP confirmed that UNC Hospital officials had received the recent DHHS and CMS report, but as of August 2 they declined to comment further on the government’s findings.
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After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.