The penalized incidents occurred between 2012 and 2017. Here is a breakdown of the penalties:
1. Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster incurred a $75,000 penalty for a patient death associated with a fall in 2012.
2. The health department fined Martinez-based Contra Costa Regional Medical Center $33,000 for failing to protect against interpatient abuse in a 2017 incident.
3. The health department issued two fines to Corona Regional Medical Center in Magnolia for incidents that occurred in 2015 and 2016. The 2015 incident yielded a $44,887 fine for patient harm associated with a burn incurred during care. The hospital received a $49,500 fine for a 2016 incident involving a misplaced central line that went undiagnosed for more than 24 hours and led to a patient getting an amputation.
4. Fremont (Calif.) Hospital incurred a $75,000 fine for failing to promptly intervene when a patient became severely dehydrated and stopped breathing in 2016.
5. The health department fined Hemet (Calif.) Valley Medical Center $49,500 for retention of a foreign object in a patient after a 2016 surgery.
6. John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio incurred a $75,000 fine for failing to ensure on-call physician coverage was available for a patient in 2017.
7. Health officials fined Perris-based Kindred Hospital Riverside $75,000 for failing to develop a plan of care to prevent a patient from removing her tracheal tube in 2016.
8. Madera (Calif.) Community Hospital was fined $47,025 for a 2016 incident where a medical error resulted in an unnecessary surgery and removal of part of a patient’s colon.
9. Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento received a $75,000 fine for a medication error that led to a patient’s death in 2016.
10. The health department issued two fines to Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center in Riverside for incidents in 2016. The first fine was $75,000 for an error involving a central line placement that led to several procedures that contributed to a patient’s death. The second fine was $75,000 for a medication error that led to a patient’s death.
11. Health officials fined St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles $71,250 for a patient death associated with a fall in 2016.
12. St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard incurred a $75,000 penalty for errors that resulted in the malfunction of a heart-lung machine during surgery that led to a patient’s death in 2015.
13. The health department issued two fines to Ventura (Calif.) County Medical Center for incidents in 2015 and 2016. The hospital received a $69,930 fine for failing to ensure a suicidal patient was provided a safe transfer to the inpatient psychiatric unit in 2015. The hospital received a $87,412 fine for failing to ensure there were sufficient personnel to keep a patient safe in the emergency department in a 2016 incident.
The department issued $549,555 in similar fines to nine California hospitals on Dec. 28, 2017.
More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:
16 pregnant ICU nurses thrown baby shower by Arizona hospital
Antibiotics send 70K children to ER annually, study finds
Why a woman’s zip code could indicate preterm birth risk: 5 things to know
