Joan Rivers' clinic promises improving practices to avoid shutting down

The clinic where Joan Rivers' throat procedure occurred has promised to improve practices and avoid such tragedies in order to stop shutting down by Feds.

Yorkville Endoscopy has been responding to flaws found by the Department of Health and Human Services by making several upgrades to its procedures, TMZ.com reported.

Among the changes; stricter procedures to credential physicians and observers who are admitted into operating rooms was included.

The clinic has to perform a full assessment of a patient's weight, allergies, and medical history before administering Propofol . Supplemental oxygen should be routinely used and immediately available for patients sedated with Propofol.

Anesthesiologists must check vital signs at least every 5 minutes for patients sedated with Propofol and unscheduled drills to resuscitate patients using defibrillators/crash carts will be run 4 times a year.

The Dept. of HHS has signed off on Yorkville's plan and Yorkville officials had been given a January deadline to get this done or the feds could have closed down the clinic.