Southern California Hospitals Fined for Negligent Care

Ten Southern California hospitals have received penalties of $25,000 each after the California Department of Public Health determined that medical mistakes in care to patients caused, or was likely to cause, serious injuries or death. Los Angeles County had five hospitals on the list, Orange County three and San Diego County two.

The following hospitals were penalized:

1. Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, for failing to ensure the safe and effective administration of medications.

2. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, for failing to accurately implement its blood transfusion policies and procedures.

3. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, for failing to follow its surgical policies and procedures, resulting in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a foreign object that was left inside the body.

4. Saint Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, for failing to ensure safe and effective use of medications.

5. Whittier Hospital Medical Center in Whittier, for failing to adequately identify a patient prior to a surgical procedure.

6. Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, for failing to follow its policies and procedures for the use and maintenance of respiratory equipment.

7. University of California, San Diego Medical Center in San Diego, for failing follow its surgical policies and procedures, resulting in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a foreign object left in the body during surgery.

8. St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Orange County, for failing follow its surgical policies and procedures, resulting in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a foreign object left in the body during surgery.

9. University of California Irvine Medical Center in Irvine, for failing to prevent falls.

10. University of California Irvine Medical Center in Irvine, for compromising the safety of a patient by failing to timely to investigation of an assault on a patient.

Regulators issued the fines almost a month ago, but postponed making them public because of the Swine flu outbreak.

The malpractice lawyers at Walton Law Firm LLP represent individuals and families throughout San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles County who have been injured by medical mistakes, in accidents, and all other personal injury matters.