Clinic that Treated Joan Rivers to Lose Federal Accreditation

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The Manhattan clinic where Joan Rivers went into cardiac arrest has lost its federal accreditation.

The news comes days after Yorkville Endoscopy avoided losing its accreditation. Federal and state health investigators, who initially found deficiencies at the practice, said the clinic succeeded in making improvements, according to a letter that an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services sent to the clinic.

But now, the federal agency Centers for Medicare Services said Yorkville Endoscopy “no longer meets the Conditions for Coverage for a supplier of Ambulatory Surgical Center services. Therefore, CMS is terminating the Medicare Health Benefits Agreement between Yorkville Endoscopy and the Secretary, effective January 31, 2015. As of January 31, 2015 Yorkville Endoscopy will no longer be eligible to receive federal funds for services provided to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.”

The notices were obtained by ABC News Radio.

Yorkville Endoscopy came under fire after an investigation by the New York State Health Department following Rivers’ death uncovered deficiencies in four categories. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services then found that staff members photographed Rivers with a mobile phone while she was sedated, improperly documented how much of the sedative propofol was used, and “failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention during the procedure.”

The comedian’s daughter, Melissa Rivers, has since hired attorneys Jeffrey B. Bloom and Ben Rubinowitz to further look into the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death.

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