‘Patient Dumping’ A Startlingly Frequent Practice For Sacramento’s Hospitals, Survey Shows
"Patient dumping" is when poor people are discharged from hospitals and other health care providers to shelters or the streets without advance planning. In a recent poll of agencies that serve the poor in the Sacramento area, one facility reported the practice occurring two or three times a week, and three facilities said it happens about once a week.
Sacramento Bee:
Dumping Patients At Homeless Shelters ‘A Systemic Issue’ In Sacramento, New Survey Says
Data released this week by a nonprofit advocacy group, the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, suggest that the practice of sending patients to shelters without advance notification is not uncommon. The organization recently surveyed agencies that serve the poor in the Sacramento area about whether homeless people recently had been dropped off at their organizations – by ambulance, cab or ride share – immediately following discharge from a health care provider and without prior notification. (Hubert, 2/14)
In other hospital news —
East Bay Times:
Bill Paxton’s Family Blames Surgeon, World-Famous Hospital For Actor’s 2017 Death
Nearing the anniversary of the death of actor Bill Paxton, his family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the surgeon and the world-famous Los Angeles hospital involved in the heart operation that triggered a fatal stroke. The lawsuit was filed against surgeon Ali Khoynezhad and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the Fort-Worth Star Telegram reported Monday. The Fort Worth-born actor, who starred in “Apollo 13” and “Titanic,” died Feb. 25, 2017, at age 61. According to a news release from Paxton’s family, they contend that Khoynezhad performed an improper procedure that led to the actor’s death. The family also said that inactions by Cedars-Sinai contributed to the complications that led to the stroke. (Ross, 2/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Bill Paxton Family Sues Hospital, Doctor For Wrongful Death
The suit filed Friday against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center alleges the surgeon, used a "high risk and unconventional surgical approach" that was unnecessary and that he lacked the experience to perform, and that he downplayed the procedure's risks. And it alleges the hospital knew the surgeon, Dr. Ali Khoynezhad, tended to "engage in maverick surgeries and show suboptimal judgment." ... Cedars-Sinai said it could not offer public comment about Paxton's case. ... Khoynezhad has since left Cedars-Sinai for another hospital. An after-hours message left seeking comment from him was not immediately returned. (Dalton, 2/14)