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El Paso Hospital Cancels Elective Surgeries Following Problems

An El Paso hospital has cancelled all elective and nonemergency surgeries for three weeks after inspectors warned it could lose its accreditation.

The El Paso Times cites University Medical Center of El Paso CEO Jim Valenti as saying inspectors found employees not following policy, incomplete documentation and preventative maintenance by technicians that didn't meet industry standards.

El Paso County Commissioner Vince Perez says no one told him or his colleagues about the accreditation warning before the county-run hospital announced the cancellations Saturday. He says the lack of communication shows the need for new leadership once Valenti's contract expires next year.

The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs, notified the hospital of its finding Thursday.

UMC was given 23 days to correct the problems.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.