‘Immediate Jeopardy’ Rulings At Calif. Hospitals Highlight Infection Problems
UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center worked quickly to address inspectors' concerns and the label was lifted shortly from both. However, the fact that it happened raises concern among advocates. “Hospital leadership is not putting enough resources into infection control," said Lisa McGiffert, who leads the safe patient project at Consumers Union.
Los Angeles Times:
State Found Lapses In Infection Control At UCLA And Cedars
After "super bug" outbreaks last year involving a hard-to-clean medical scope, state health inspectors descended on two of Los Angeles’ largest hospitals and found numerous safety violations that appeared to put far more patients at risk. At UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the state declared an “immediate jeopardy” – meaning lives were at imminent risk – on March 4, 2015, after finding staff using contaminated water and a tainted liquid cleaner dispenser being used to ready colonoscopes and other devices for the next patients. (Petersen, 5/14)
In other hospital news —
Glendale News-Press:
Glendale Adventist Leads Area Hospitals In Patient-Safety Advocacy Group's Report
Only one hospital in or around Glendale aced a twice-yearly hospital safety report card, while three others earned middling grades. Glendale Adventist once again earned an A from Washington, D.C.-based Leapfrog Group, an organization that advocates for hospital patient safety. Leapfrog bases its assessments on a host of criteria, including the chances of contracting infections and patients falls during a hospital stay. (Mikailian, 5/13)
Palo Alto Daily News:
Stanford, Lucile Packard Nurses Get Raises In Deal That Avoids Strike
Nurses from Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford will get 4 percent raises each year in a three-year contract ratified by union members on Wednesday. (Lee, 5/13)
And the head of the FTC warns about hospital mergers nationally —
The Washington Post:
This Health-Care Trend Could Make Your Hospital Stay $2,000 More Expensive
Consolidation in the health-care industry is accelerating and has helped drive up prices in parts of the country, Edith Ramirez, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, said in a speech Friday. “I remain very concerned about the rapid rate of consolidation among health-care providers,” Ramirez said. Last year, the number of hospital mergers increased 18 percent compared with the previous year, she said. In areas where there is a hospital monopoly, prices are 15 percent higher than those in areas with four or more competitors, and the average in-patient stay in those places is almost $2,000 higher, Ramirez said. (Merle, 5/13)