Hoag Hospital in the OC CMS Inspection Finds Major Safety Issues

You can read the safety issues below and as the Orange County Register points out the vaccines not being stored properly was one of the main issues among other items listed.  The hospital has until May to correct and no doubt I’m sure all will be in compliance when another inspection is conducted.  The one item that stands out more so than others is allowing the anesthesiologists the option of using their own intubation equipment and the inspection found that it has not been sterilized properly.  Five charts were also deemed illegible.  Hoag and the Hoag Orthopedic Institute have always been top rated by patients so I’m sure the matters found by the inspection have been addressed and as the article states Medicare funding was threatened but that is the case with all inspection violations.   BD

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Hoag Hospital and Hoag Orthopedic Institute have been threatened with the loss of federal Medicare funding after inspections turned up patient health and safety deficiencies in Newport Beach and Irvine.

In a January inspection of the Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a finding of immediate jeopardy – the highest level of potential patient harm – because flu and pneumonia vaccines and medications were stored at improper temperatures. Hoag Orthopedic Institute is a separately licensed for-profit hospital owned by surgeons and Hoag Hospital.

During a separate January inspection of Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach and Irvine, regulators found Hoag did not meet federal standards in six areas, including patient rights, infection control and surgical services.

Among the deficiencies noted in the report:

•Dust and blood stains were found in the drawers of anesthesia carts used in operating rooms. Doctors brought personal items, such as briefcases, into sterile operating rooms in violation of hospital policy.

•A doctor carried two medication-filled syringes in his pocket and then administered them to a patient instead of keeping them sterile and wrapped until use. Doctors also administered IV medication without sterilizing the IV ports first.

•Some anesthesiologists were using their own intubation equipment rather than the hospital's, but were not properly sterilizing it after use.

•Patients in the chemical recovery program were asked to write their full names on a sign-up sheet allowing other patients to identify them. A hospital employee faxed a surgery schedule with 145 patient names, dates of birth and surgeries to be performed to a real estate office instead of a surgeon as intended.

•Staff failed to obtain advanced directive wishes from several patients whose charts were reviewed. Medical records were illegible for five patients.

•Some patient meals failed to comply with physician orders or fully meet recommended dietary guidelines.

•Not all staff who performed imaging procedures wore badges to monitor their radiation exposure.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hospital-501987-hoag-institute.html