State Investigators Find ‘Lapses’ at San Ramon Hospital, CNA Says
San Ramon-based San Ramon Regional Medical Center, a 123-bed hospital owned by Tenet Healthcare, has been cited by state investigators for several patient care violations, including the use of outdated drugs and failing to provide an appropriate number of surgeons for major operations, according to the California Nurses Association, the Los Angeles Times reports. CNA officials yesterday said the lapses were uncovered by an investigation by the Department of Health Services in response to complaints about the hospital. According to the CNA, the state investigators found that during some cardiac surgeries, a required third surgeon was not present and that the hospital failed to ensure pediatric nurses were properly credentialed (Vrana, Los Angeles Times, 4/2). The Contra Costa Times reports that the CNA says the hospital was also cited for lapses in records documentation and failure to provide age-specific assessments for neonatal and pediatric patients (English, Contra Costa Times, 4/2). "These findings are a shocking indictment. They point to an alarming pattern of shoddy practices," CNA President Kay McVay said. However, San Ramon officials said the announcement was an attempt to "discredit" the hospital, which has been in a dispute with the CNA over an election last fall in which nurses at San Ramon voted to join the union. Steven Campanini, Tenet's director of media relations, said, "This is an inflammatory effort by the CNA to organize our nurses" (Los Angeles Times, 4/2). San Ramon officials also said the state investigators found "deficiencies common at most hospitals" (Contra Costa Times, 4/2).
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.