OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA – Our San Diego nursing home abuse attorneys have learned that Tri-City Medical Center was fined by the state last Tuesday for failing to prevent a patient from falling out of bed. The California Department of Public Health announced last Thursday that it had fined Tri-City and 10 other hospitals throughout the state, $25,000 after the hospital “failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when the hospital did not follow its policies and procedures for fall prevention.” According to a DPH report, a 91-year-old woman, who was admitted to the hospital last December 7 with a stroke diagnosis and paralysis to her right side, fell from her bed shortly after midnight December 9, fracturing her right hip. Sadly, the woman died in Tri-City’s intensive-care unit after surgery to repair the fracture on December 10. The condolences of our California nursing home negligence lawyers go out to both the victim of this tragic accident, as well as her friends and family members.
The report stated that at around 8:00 p.m. on December 8 the patient was diagnosed as a “high risk” for falls, which would require hospital workers to install bed alarms and pads around the bed. However, there was no evidence in the medical record to support that such measures were in place at the time the patient fell.
In a formal “plan of correction” filed with the state, Tri-City lists a litany of changes it has made since the fall to prevent similar incidents from happening again. The hospital’s response indicates that administrators used a “fall prevention work group” to better train workers in fall prevention. Rounds for patients prone to falls was increased from once per hour to once per half hour. Orderlies who transport patients were also instructed in how to re-activate bed alarms and additional restraints, color-coded for size, were ordered and installed.
Berman & Riedel, LLP is a San Diego based law firm that represents victims of elder abuse and neglect throughout the state of California. The firm’s San Diego nursing home neglect attorneys are recognized by many as one of the state’s leading advocates for nursing home residents’ rights. They have garnered some of the state’s most successful settlements and awards for its clients against wrongful nursing homes and other types of elder care facilities. This success is attributable to the vast experience and knowledge that each of the firm’s California nursing home abuse lawyers has in this complicated area of federal and state law.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the care that an elderly loved one is receiving in a nursing home or other type of health care facility, call the San Diego nursing home negligence attorneys at Berman & Riedel, LLP today at (858) 350-8855. One of our firm’s experienced and knowledgeable nursing home attorneys will be more than happy to provide you and your family with an initial free consultation to discuss with you what rights you may have under both California and federal law. To learn more about Berman & Riedel, LLP’s California nursing home neglect lawyers, visit the firm’s main elder abuse and neglect website at www.preventelderabuse.com.
