Calif. Fines Nine Hospitals for Not Complying With Licensing Rules
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health issued administrative penalties against nine state hospitals for failing to comply with licensing requirements, which could have caused patient injury or death, KPPC's "KPCC News" reports (O'Neill, "KPCC News," KPCC, 10/24).
Details of Penalties
The hospitals that were fined include:
- Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego, which was fined $50,000 for failing to establish policies and procedures regarding fall prevention;
- Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, which was fined $50,000 for not following surgical policies and procedures;
- Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, which was fined $75,000 for not following established policies and procedures related to cardiovascular surgery services and another $100,000 for not following policies and procedures related to medical staffing rules and regulations;
- LAC/Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, which was fined $50,000 for not following policies and procedures related to patient monitoring and intervention;
- Mercy Medical Center in Merced, which was fined $50,000 for not following patient care policies and procedures;
- Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, which was fined $100,000 for not following policies and procedures related to central line catheters;
- Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, which was fined $100,000 for not following policies and procedures related to the safe distribution and administration of medication;
- Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, which was fined $100,000 for not following surgical policies and procedures; and
- St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, which was fined $100,000 for not following policies and procedures regarding fall prevention (DPH release, 10/24).