SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — A rural Missouri hospital has been cut off from the federal Medicare program after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found serious deficiencies threatening patient health and safety.

The federal health agency pulled I-70 Community Hospital in Sweet Springs from its Medicare program on Thursday, KCUR-FM reported.

The 15-bed facility about 65 miles east of Kansas City closed and voluntarily suspended its license in February after state regulators found that it was "out of regulatory compliance."

Oklahoma-based Cohesive Healthcare Management & Consulting was...