{"id":256007,"date":"2026-04-18T19:01:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/256007\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T19:01:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:01:36","slug":"laurel-ridge-treatment-center-faces-medicare-medicaid-termination-over-safety-violations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/256007\/","title":{"rendered":"Laurel Ridge Treatment Center faces Medicare, Medicaid termination over safety violations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A San Antonio behavioral healthcare and addiction treatment center will soon be unable to treat patients covered by Medicaid or Medicare after federal health officials ended its agreement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took action against Laurel Ridge Treatment Center, citing repeated health and safety violations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">According to a notice obtained by KSAT, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says it will not pay for services for patients admitted on or after April 30.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">For patients who were admitted before April 30, payment will be provided for services up to 30 days after April 30.<\/p>\n<p>Months of concerns<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">KSAT <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/local\/2025\/11\/05\/state-investigators-find-multiple-violations-at-san-antonio-mental-health-treatment-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/local\/2025\/11\/05\/state-investigators-find-multiple-violations-at-san-antonio-mental-health-treatment-center\/\">has followed through<\/a> on the situation for months. A November report described staffing shortages that left mental health patients waiting up to six hours to be checked in, as well as a self-harm incident involving a smuggled razor blade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">&gt;&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/local\/2025\/11\/05\/state-investigators-find-multiple-violations-at-san-antonio-mental-health-treatment-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/local\/2025\/11\/05\/state-investigators-find-multiple-violations-at-san-antonio-mental-health-treatment-center\/\">State investigators find multiple violations at San Antonio mental health treatment center<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">That same report cited unsecured items that could be used for self-injury, ligatures or fire \u2014 raising serious questions about patient safety at the facility.<\/p>\n<p>Facility says it remains open, committed to compliance<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Laurel Ridge\u2019s leadership is pushing back, saying the facility remains open and fully operational.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cCMS has informed Laurel Ridge Treatment Center that, in their opinion, the facility does not currently meet the requirements for participation in the Medicare program,\u201d said Ashley Sacriste, DHA, chief executive officer of Laurel Ridge, in part. \u201cWe are hopeful that we can work collaboratively with CMS to clarify the basis for its findings and to demonstrate the facility\u2019s ongoing compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Sacriste says the facility is committed to resolving any outstanding issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe are deeply committed to providing high-quality care to each patient we serve and are determined to address any areas of concern in order to successfully participate in the Medicare program,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are taking all efforts to remain a provider of choice and fulfill all obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Sacriste also emphasized that patient care continues uninterrupted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cAt present, the facility is open and fully functional, and we will continue to provide care for all patients currently with us,\u201d she said. \u201cFor nearly 40 years, Laurel Ridge Treatment Center has provided lifesaving and life-improving care to the individuals we are privileged to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read also:<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KSAT &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A San Antonio behavioral healthcare and addiction treatment center will soon be unable to treat&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256008,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[22651,2125,82,84,83,51314],"class_list":{"0":"post-256007","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-laurel-ridge","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-san-antonio","11":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","12":"tag-san-antonio-news","13":"tag-we-follow-through"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}