On September 24, 2009 the Los Angeles Times reported that eleven California hospitals have been fined $25,000 each in administrative penalties for violations that, in some cases, have let to death or serious injury. The list includes eight hospitals in Southern California.
At Coast Plaza in Norwalk, state investigation records show that two surgical clamps were left in a patient during surgery in December 2008. The patient had to return to the emergency room weeks after being sent home with an infection and doctors had to operate a second time to remove the clamps. One of the nurse’s responsible was placed on three months probation, the staff was retrained and new policies were issued for keeping track of surgical instruments.
Saint John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica was fined for failing to follow surgical procedures. During an eyelid surgery on December 9, 2008 a patient was burned in the face by a fire that erupted from overheated cauterizing equipment. The staff was retrained and tested on fire prevention. Further, the hospital clarified rules for using cauterizing equipment in combination with oxygen during operations.
A 53-year-old patient died on April 23, 2008 at Kindred Hospital in Ontario after pulling out the tracheotomy tube that allowed him to breathe. Records show the man had pulled out his breathing tube the day before he died during a family visit, but a nurse reinserted it. Records showed no one was assigned to monitor him after the doctor had requested it. Hospital officials retrained staff and reviewed their procedures in response to the investigation.
A woman had to undergo a second surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center to remove a surgical sponge left behind during a liver transplant on August 14, 2008. After the state investigated, hospital staff was retrained and an audit was performed on a monthly count of a random sample of their surgical instrument, revealing no further errors.
According to the article, the following hospitals received penalties: Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital in Norwalk, Kindred Hospital in Ontario, Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Mendocino Coast District Hospital in Fort Bragg, Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna, Saint John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in Chula Vista, Tri-City Hospital District in Oceanside, USC University Hospital in Los Angeles
