11 California Hospitals Fined for Medical Errors

September 25, 2009

Eleven California Hospitals were slapped $25,000 administrative penalties Thursday for violations, which in some cases, caused serious injury or death, Department of Public Health officials said.

Out of the 11 hospitals fined, about half of the hospitals were cited for leaving objects in the patients after surgery.

Two of the hospitals that were fined for failure to follow proper surgical procedures were Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center and Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital.

Coast Plaza was fined after two surgical clamps were left by staff in a patient during surgery in December 2008.

They had to operate again to remove them.

Same with County-USC, as they had to operate a second time to remove a surgical sponge left inside a gunshot victim in June 2008.

The hospital received another citation early this year for leaving surgical sponges and towels on another gunshot victim.

Since the penalties were passed into law 2 years ago, about 115 penalties have been issued to 80 hospitals.

Of the total number, 21% were related to foreign objects left inside the patient after surgery.

That is the second-leading violation next to medication or pharmacy errors.

Other hospitals fined were Saint John’s Health Center, USC University Hospital, Kindred Hospital in Ontario, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, Loma Linda University Medical Center and Tri-City Hospital District in Oceanside.