VALDOSTA — State and federal agencies that inspected South Georgia Medical Center last week issued a verbal report finding nothing negative at the hospital.

During a special called meeting Wednesday, Bill Forbes, chief executive officer of South Georgia Medical Center, said state inspectors working for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal agency, finished an inspection of the hospital last week.

Forbes told the Hospital Authority Board of Valdosta and Lowndes County that the Joint Commission, a private accreditor for hospitals that issued a preliminary denial of accreditation last year, instructed CMS to look at specific areas of the hospital.

He said the verbal review is subject to change by the time the official report is released.

“If the final report reflects the findings that they gave us verbally, then we should have a good report from the state, whenever it does come out,” Forbes said.

This is the second time the state has inspected SGMC, and Forbes said the verbal report matches state findings from the first inspection.

Authority Chairman Sam Allen said there are still no updates from the Joint Commission about the hospital’s accreditation status, which remains under a preliminary denial status.

Allen said the earliest the authority would know something could come March or April.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256