HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is calling for an investigation into Parham Doctors’ Hospital in Henrico County, where Irvo Otieno received treatment before he died at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County while in the custody of Henrico Sheriff’s deputies in March.
According to the Henrico County Division of Police, Otieno was taken to Parham Doctors’ Hospital after being placed under an Emergency Custody order on March 3, 2023. Authorities said that, while at the hospital’s crisis receiving center, Otieno “became physically assaultive towards officers.”
Officers took Otieno to Henrico Jail West before transporting him to Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie, where he died on March 6. Two weeks after Otieno’s death, seven Henrico Sheriff’s deputies and three Central State Hospital employees were indicted on second-degree murder charges.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) told 8News that CMS “requested the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification to conduct an investigation” into the Parham Doctors’ Hospital in the wake of Otieno’s death. We’re told the investigation is currently active.
8News reached out to HCA Healthcare, the company that runs Parham Doctors’ Hospital. An HCA spokesperson sent the following statement:
“Parham Doctors’ Hospital (PDH) is fully committed to providing the highest quality care to the communities and patients it serves. Consistent with that objective, CMS regularly conducts surveys to evaluate a healthcare provider’s compliance with regulations, policies, and standards for the purpose of CMS participation. In April 2023, a survey was performed at PDH by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) at the request of CMS. PDH and its employees fully participated and cooperated in the survey performed by the VDH. To ensure the integrity of the CMS survey process, PDH cannot comment further on such surveys.”
Both VDH and HCA declined to comment further when asked what prompted the investigation and where it stands. 8News also reached out to CMS but did not receive a response before publication.
