State verifies low standard of care at 1 hospital
July 6th, 2017Investigators for another state have found less-than-ideal conditions at Tulare Regional Medical Center. The low standard of care was substantiated by an investigation by the Department of Public Health for that state. This investigation was prompted by a high number of complaints against that facility. Although this investigation was not in Louisiana, all 50 states receive similar complaints throughout the year.
One of the complaints that was filed against the hospital alerted the state that an incident had occurred 219 days prior, which legally should have been reported within five days. A surgical dressing had been left inside of a patient and was not discovered for two weeks after her procedure. Although a registered nurse coordinator, three doctors, the hospital’s vice president of marketing and the chief medical officer were all aware of the incident, no one reported it to the health department.
The hospital was ordered to pay large fines, and an investigation was opened into the conditions of other aspects of the facility. During that investigation it was discovered that there had been a high number of complaints filed against Tulare. Of those, 61 percent filed within the last year have been substantiated by the state.
A low standard of care and substandard workplace conditions can lead to accidents and injuries such as this woman had. Anyone in Louisiana who has suffered because of the negligence of a hospital or medical staff could have a personal injury case. A personal injury attorney can consult with the victim and explain his or her rights and how to seek damages for his or her suffering.
Source: visaliatimesdelta.com, “TRMC errors ‘substantiated’ by state“, James Houck, June 30, 2017
