Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown Update - August 27, 2026

Update as of August 27

Ascension Saint Thomas has received the survey report from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stemming from the recent event in the pharmacy at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown. We have seen some inaccurate interpretations of this report in the media. For clarification, there were seven patients on the joint replacement surgical schedule on August 14. As we previously shared, four of those patients received the incorrect medication. Our support for those patients and their families remains unwavering.

Providing safe, high-quality, patient-centered care is at the core of our mission, and any gap in meeting that standard receives our immediate, uncompromising attention. Upon identifying the medication error on August 14, hospital leadership self-reported the event to regulators and implemented several changes to our pharmacy processes and safety protocols. We take the survey findings extremely seriously and are continuing to cooperate with state and federal surveyors to ensure a safe environment for our patients. We remain committed to upholding safety standards for every person who trusts us with their care.

Update as of August 21

Our hearts remain entirely with the four patients and families impacted by the recent event at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown. On behalf of our leadership and care teams, we extend our deepest apologies for the harm caused. Our clinical teams continue to provide dedicated care to these four individuals, and we are offering our full support and spiritual care resources to their loved ones.

To provide additional information regarding this event, on Friday, August 14, an isolated medication error occurred in our pharmacy impacting four joint replacement patients at our Midtown campus. The patients mistakenly received potassium phosphate, instead of the intended anesthetic medication, mepivacaine. The four patients experienced adverse health reactions and received immediate medical care. A comprehensive review confirmed that no other patients were affected.

Upon identifying the error on August 14, hospital leadership self-reported the event to state regulators. We have since implemented several changes to our pharmacy processes and safety protocols targeted at preventing this error.

Specifically, Midtown has implemented additional physical, technological, and clinical safeguards. The following changes are designed to address medication risks and uphold the standards of safety for our patients and teams:

• Isolated Medication Storage: High-alert medications, including mepivacaine, are stored in separate, distinctly marked locations to eliminate selection errors.
• Mandatory Hard-Stop & Escalation: Implement process to stop and resolve, through independent verification, for any spinal medication scan alert.
• Independent Dual Verification: Spinal medicine workflows now require a second trained pharmacist to perform final visual and physical checks.

Following our self-report, Ascension Saint Thomas continues to collaborate with state and federal officials to ensure a safe environment for our patients. Additionally, we have engaged independent, third-party quality experts to review and validate our mitigation plans.

Providing safe, high-quality, patient-centered care is at the core of our mission. Any gap in meeting that standard receives our immediate, uncompromising attention. We remain steadfastly committed to supporting those affected and upholding safety standards for every person who trusts us with their care.