LITTLE ROCK — The interim CEO of the Arkansas State Hospital has resigned after receiving a report critical of his decisions as the hospital’s leader.
Randall Fale resigned Wednesday in response to the report by Compass Clinical Consulting of Cincinnati, a consulting firm hired to help the state mental hospital come into compliance with federal standards for participation in the Medicaid program.
The hospital was declared out of compliance in December 2010 but has been allowed to continue receiving Medicaid funds on the condition that officials conduct a top-to-bottom review of the facility and effect changes.
In the report, the consultants said Fale has launched a project that may distract from and delay the goal of implementing a plan of corrective action.
“While progress on the action plan has been mostly on time, the CEO has initiated a project to transform the institution into ‘the psychiatric hospital of choice.’ While we admire the intent, we believe that these efforts should follow a successful project that brings the institution into sustainable compliance with the conditions of participation” in Medicaid, the consultants said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Among other things, the action plan involves better educating the hospital’s staff about patient rights and abolishing the attitude that treatment planning is about documentation rather than patients’ needs.
Amy Webb, a state Department of Human Services spokeswoman, said Fale was not asked to leave.
“Mr. Fale has done a great job and has helped the hospital move forward. Though Mr. Fale didn’t agree that his vision was a distraction, he did not want to be perceived as a barrier to progress,” she said.
Steve Henson, who had been serving as the hospital’s chief operating officer, has taken over as CEO, Webb said. Henson has been at the hospital for about seven weeks and has more than two decades of experience in health care, most recently as COO of Saline Memorial Hospital for four years, she said.
“We have made some progress, but issues remain. One is changing the culture of the hospital. That continues to be a challenge,” Webb said.