A situation where a hospital, nursing home or other medical entity violates regulations in a way that causes or creates a likelihood for serious harm to patients or residents.
Deeper Dive
Immediate jeopardy is the most severe level of noncompliance in health care regulations. Potential consequences include losing Medicare accreditation, substantial fines and reputational damage.
When state or federal surveyors declare immediate jeopardy, the entity has 23 days to remove the threat or lose its Medicare certification. The entity must submit a removal plan outlining how it will immediately address the deficiency that is threatening patient safety. At a hospital, that is typically inadequate staffing, problems with infection control or medication management, or physical hazards.
Once a plan is submitted, surveyors may revisit the facility to verify that the corrective actions are being implemented.
Removal of immediate jeopardy does not necessarily mean that a facility is substantially compliant with all standards in Medicare’s Conditions of Participation. Surveyors typically issue a report, known as a Form CMS-2567, that lists all deficiencies that were found. The facility must submit and implement a separate plan of correction for those less severe deficiencies.