11/25/2025
MSRH RESPONDS TO DOJ SETTLEMENT
Mt. San Rafael Hospital and three of its Rural Health Clinic providers have reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve allegations concerning the prescribing of controlled medications. As part of the agreement, Mt. San Rafael Hospital and the three providers (Drs. Castro-Flores, Jimenez, and McFarland) will pay a combined total of $650,000.
Mt. San Rafael Hospital and Clinics and its providers take great pride in their long-standing reputation for providing excellent patient care in Las Animas County. Part of that reputation comes with an extraordinary commitment to patients and ensuring they have access to critical care and services close to home. Our Board of Trustees and administrative and clinical teams have regularly taken active steps to review, revise, and/or implement policies and procedures for our clinical team to provide quality care to every patient at every service point. We work diligently to have policies and procedures that meet or exceed the guidance provided by regulatory agencies. As part of this commitment, we enlisted the assistance of an independent consultant to provide education, guidance, and best practices for prescribing controlled medications, which was held onsite and attended by all members of our provider team.
Mt. San Rafael Hospital and Clinics recognizes that due, in part, to its rural location, patients face numerous barriers to care, including being somewhat geographically isolated. We acknowledge that with the nearest major healthcare facilities more than 90 miles away, this presents patients with many challenges. With these and other challenges, rural health care has evolved, with facilities like ours working diligently to reduce as many barriers to care for patients as possible. Our Hospital and Clinics are focused on meeting our patient’s diverse health care needs, even with limited resources, all while keeping essential care closer to home.
To assure that our scope of work moves forward while ensuring quality patient care and safety, we have taken steps to implement new policies, procedures, and programs surrounding controlled medications. To that end, and especially in response to new data on opioid medications, we recently implemented a policy for a consistent and comprehensive approach to opioid therapy and prescribing by providers who treat patients with acute, sub-acute, chronic, and chronic non-cancer pain. Mt. San Rafael Hospital Clinic providers will not offer opioid management of chronic pain and chronic non-cancer pain as part of the medical services available to patients. The providers of Mt. San Rafael Hospital Clinics will not issue opioid prescriptions to treat chronic pain. This type of care has moved outside of primary care and is now considered specialty care. Therefore, we have been referring patients to facilities that specialize in this specific treatment. For patients that need additional support locally, we have also partnered with several local community organizations that now provide peer support (inpatient and outpatient) and additional resources for those seeking specialized treatment.
“We absolutely understand the critical role our Hospital and Clinics play in providing the safest, highest quality of care for every patient and we take that role very seriously, as do our team of providers,” said Kim Lucero, CEO of Mt. San Rafael Hospital. “Our clinical team takes the opportunity for ongoing education and guidance on the latest medical research and regulations which they adapt to their patient relationships, all with their patient’s overall health, well-being, and lifetime impact at the forefront of their minds. This investigation was never about the quality of care provided to our patients. But, by resolving the allegations in this case with this settlement, we can move forward and remain laser-focused on delivering the safest, highest quality of care for all those who come through our doors.”
