Four San Diego Hospitals Fined For Preventable Mistakes
Four hospitals in San Diego County have been fined $275,000 for lapses that either killed patients or put them at risk of serious injury or death, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said in a press release yesterday. The four San Diego County hospitals included Pomerado Hospital in Poway, Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, and Rady Children's Hospital in Serra Mesa. Just last month, Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest was fined $25,000 for leaving a surgical sponge in a hysterectomy patient.
Pomerado Hospital Incident
Pomerado Hospital in Poway was fined $50,000 for the July 2009 death of a patient. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, documents alleged that the nursing staff at Pomerado failed to follow standard procedures, which resulted in a demented and disabled patient falling at the hospital. The patient suffered bleeding on both sides of the brain following the June 20th fall. The patient was moved to the ICU and then to a skilled nursing facility, where he died July 3. Palomar Pomerado officials said they plan to appeal the CDPH penalty.
Scripps Green Hospital Incidents
Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla was fined $125,000 for two incidents. In one incident, for which the hospital was fined $50,000, a doctor unfamiliar with a new type of lumbar catheter left a portion of the device in the spinal column during surgery. The doctor admitted to his lack of expertise and said he spent only 10 minutes reading the brochure prior to the surgery. In that instance, doctors decided it was best to leave the object in the patient's body. In the second incident, for which Scripps Green Hospital was fined $75,000, a surgeon performing a hip replacement reported discovering dried blood on an instrument being used on a patient. As a result, eleven patients at the hospital were exposed to blood-born pathogens.
Tri-City Medical Center Incident
On September 8, 2009, a doctor, respiratory therapist and other operating-room staffed allowed a ventilation mask to interact with a electrocautery device. This interaction sparked a flash fire that resulted in first and second degree burns to a patient. Tri-City Medical Center said they regret the occurrence and have "completed an extensive analysis and put preventative measures in place to eliminate any future occurrences of this nature." Tri-City was fined $50,000 for the incident.
Rady Children's Hospital Incident
Rady Children's Hospital was fined $50,000 for a pharmacist mistakenly giving a 3-year-old a phenol solution that was nearly 18 times stronger than what the doctor prescribed. As a result, the child suffered swelling and a buildup of fluids.
CDPH Administrative Penalties
The administrative penalties are issued under authority granted by Health and Safety Code section 1280.1. In 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that took effect January 1, 2009 that increased fines for incidents that occurred in 2009 or later. Under the new provisions, an administrative penalty carries a fine of $50,000 for the first violation, $75,000 for the second, and $100,000 for the third or subsequent violation at the same hospital.
In addition to the fines, all four hospitals must file statements of deficiencies and plans of correction indicating how they have or will take steps to prevent similar errors from happening again. Other hospitals that received penalties included Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland, Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, and Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside. Read the California Department of Public Health May 20th press release here.
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