The fines range from $25,000 to $75,000 and some hospitals received multiple fines. Some violations include objects left inside patients after surgery, such as retractor blades, drill bits and surgical sponges, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
Here are 12 hospitals that were fined, according to the CPPH release:
1. California Pacific Medical Center – Pacific Campus Hospital (San Francisco)
2. Citrus Valley Medical Center – IC Campus (Covina, Calif.)
3. Hanford Community Medical Center (Hanford, Calif.)
4. Kindred Hospital Westminster (Westminster, Calif.)
5. Palomar Medical Center (Escondido, Calif.)
6. Petaluma Valley Hospital (Petaluma, Calif.)
7. Placentia Linda Hospital (Placentia, Calif.)
8. Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla, Calif.)
9. Southwest Healthcare System (Murrieta, Calif.)
10. UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco)
11. USC University Hospital (Los Angeles)
12. Western Medical Center Santa Ana (Santa Ana, Calif.)
A 2007 state law allows CDPH the authority to issue administrative penalties. Since its inception, the state has issued 170 citations to 112 California hospitals, collecting $3.65 million in fines, according to the San Francisco Chronicle report.
Read more about California healthcare:
–Officials Identify More Than 20 California Hospitals as Structurally Unsound
–More Than One-Third of California Inpatients Readmitted Within a Year
–Number of Hospitals, Beds Dwindling in California
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