Two Local Hospitals To Be Fined For Violations

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This might sting a little.

St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton and UCI Medical Center in Irvine will both face administrative fines from the California Department of Public Health, the department announced today. Each fine is $25,000, and comes as a result of "a determination that the facilities' noncompliance with licensing requirements has caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients."

A total of 13 hospitals in California will be penalized, and UCI is the only hospital on the list to pay for two violations. The press release gives the reasons for each fine:

9.    St. Jude Medical Center, Fullerton, Orange County. The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when the hospital did not follow its surgical policy and procedure. This resulted in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a retained foreign object.  This is the facility's first administrative penalty.

10. University of California Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, Orange County. The health and safety of a patient was jeopardized when the hospital failed to follow its policies and procedures for fall prevention. This is the facility's first administrative penalty.
 
11. University of California Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, Orange County. The hospital compromised the safety of a patient when an allegation of physical assault was not investigated timely. The right to considerate and respectful care was not ensured. This is the facility's second administrative penalty.

It should be noted that neither of the two above hospitals were among the OC medical facilities that have made headlines for dumping patients or allegedly framing a doctor by planting a gun in his car.