Western State Hospital signs agreement with federal agency to fix problems

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital has reached an agreement with federal regulators, who had threatened to cut millions in funds over safety concerns at the 800-bed Lakewood facility.

According to a document acquired by The Associated Press, officials at Western State Hospital signed an agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services late Thursday.

As part of the agreement, independent consultants were on site on Friday to begin a root-cause analysis of the hospital's many problems.

Hospital CEO Cheryl Strange and Gov. Jay Inslee plan to announce the details of the agreement on Friday morning.

The federal agency threatened to cut Medicare and Medicaid funds four times last year and agreed to extend the deadline several times this year, with the latest deadline on Friday.

The treats came after inspectors found violations that put patients and staff at risk.