DPH Issues $275K in Penalties Against Three California Hospitals

The California Department of Public Health has issued fines against three hospitals in the state for violations of the state health and safety code, the Sacramento Bee's "Healthy Choices" reports.

Details of Fines

On Thursday, DPH issued a $50,000 penalty against Sutter General Hospital in Sacramento -- the facility's first administrative penalty. The fine was issued after a nurse failed to ensure medical treatment for a patient who sustained life-threatening injuries from a fall in the hospital's emergency department (Craft, "Healthy Choices," Sacramento Bee, 5/1).

Additional fines were levied on:

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, which was fined $100,000 for failing to follow policies on patient evaluation and safety and $75,000 for failing to follow policies on the safe distribution of medication; and
Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, which was fined $50,000 for failing to follow fall prevention policies -- the facility's first administrative penalty.

The hospitals are required to create corrective action plans to prevent future incidents (DPH release, 5/1). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.