Laguna Honda hospital regains Medicare recertification after years of turmoil

More than two years after Laguna Honda Hospital lost its certification after federal regulators reported multiple violations, the facility has been approved for Medicare recertification, according to an announcement from the San Francisco Department of Public Health on Thursday.

The hospital lost its certification in April 2022 after several inspections revealed violations, including staff hygiene issues and on-site smoking and drug use.

Chaos ensued in the following months as nearly 700 patients grappled with the possibility of moving elsewhere. Three ended up in homeless shelters and 11 died shortly after they were transferred to other facilities. The transfers were paused in summer of 2022 and in total about 41 patients were moved.

The pause left the historic hospital and its remaining patients in limbo as the hospital was no longer certified in Medicaid or Medicare.

Laguna Honda successfully reapplied and was approved for Medicaid recertification last year, and according to SFDPH, this latest approval is the final step for the facility to regain its standing.

Many of the hospital's patients are low-income and have lived there for years or even decades.

“I am grateful for the relief this brings to our current residents and their families, who have made clear that Laguna Honda is where they want to receive care,” said Mayor London Breed in Thursday’s announcement. “Laguna Honda embodies our city’s values and what makes San Francisco special.”

The hospital will now resume admissions for patients on Medicare or Medicaid. More than 95% of the residents at the facility use Medicaid, according to SFDPH, with the remaining patients relying on Medicare.

“I could not be prouder of Laguna Honda staff. For more than twenty-four months, they have worked under immense pressure to transform Laguna Honda into a top skilled nursing facility, making clear to our regulators that we can meet and will continue to meet high standards of care,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health for the City and County of San Francisco.

Despite the good news, the hospital is still working through the repercussions of the last two years. Just last month, nurses picketed outside Laguna Honda as part of an ongoing contract discussion between SEIU Local 1021, representing 2,300 nurses in The City, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

At the picket, Laguna Hospital nurses shared that the changes made in the last two years have made things more challenging at times, particularly with the inclusion of outside consultants who were brought in to manage the facility.

“Every day they would implement a new course of work to follow, and then they would change it,” Raphaella Roundtree, a registered nurse at Laguna Honda, told The Examiner last month. “It was up and down.”