"There's been a lot of turnover not only at the Omaha-Winnebago hospital, but also at the regional office in Aberdeen," Miller said.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cut off Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to the Winnebago hospital on July 23, 2015, after the hospital failed to adequately address serious deficiencies that federal inspectors found put patient health in “immediate jeopardy.”

The Pine Ridge and Rosebud hospitals are trying to prevent the loss of Medicare and Medicaid funds. If deficiencies identified by investigators aren't fixed, the hospitals are scheduled to lose funding after May 16.

Miller and other tribal leaders met Smith in Sioux Falls to discuss the state of the hospitals.

Miller said he believes the high employee turnover is the result of discussions between the Omaha and Winnebago tribes and and IHS.

"I think people are being held accountable," Miller said. "Their feet are being held to the fire."

Smith, Miller and Darla LaPointe, chair of the Winnebago Tribe, toured the Winnebago hospital to assess the current state of the facility.