CDPH Fines Nursing Home $75K; Sutter, Blue Shield Still At Impasse
CDPH Fines Sylmar Nursing Home $75,000
A skilled nursing center in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles has been fined $75,000 by the California Department of Public Health for the death of a resident.
The female resident had been admitted to the Maclay Healthcare Center in Sylmar last year with a history of dehydration, urinary tract infections and difficulty swallowing.
Although the patient required 2,010 cubic centimeters of daily fluid intake, the nursing staff did not create an appropriate intervention plan to ensure that occurred. As a result, on many days she received about half as much as the required fluid intake, although the medical staff termed her intake as “adequate” on most days.
There was also no appropriate record-keeping of whether the patient received a daily nutritional drink supplement, records show.
After exhibiting signs of fever and low blood pressure, the patient was admitted to a nearby hospital. She died five days later from cardiac arrest, sepsis, meningitis and other severe medical conditions.
“There was no documented evidence in the clinical record that indicated the licensed nursing staff consistently monitored the resident's hydration status,” the report concluded.
Along with the fine, Maclay received a “AA” citation, the most severe under state law.
Maclay officials agreed to a corrective action that included daily reviews of multiple patient charts to ensure that care action plans are being adhered to.
Blue Shield, Sutter Remain At An Impasse On New Contract
San Francisco-based Blue Shield of California and Sacramento-based hospital network Sutter Health are continued to be deadlocked on a new provider contract.
According to a statement issued by Sutter earlier this week, Blue Shield rejected a proposal to extend negotiations and lock in 2014 payment rates through the end of this year. Sutter provides a provider network to about 280,000
"Our proposed longer-term transition agreement would help ensure patients have continued access in 2015 to the doctors Blue Shield promised them during open enrollment," said Stephen Lockhart, M.D., Sutter Health's chief medical officer. "We believe employers and Blue Shield members deserve the network they purchased. Few things are more important than the relationships patients have with their doctors, and our proposal gives patients time to consider alternative health plan options for 2016.”
In a prepared statement, Blue Shield said it was hopeful it could negotiate a contract under “fair and reasonable terms.”
Cost of Smoking In California: $1.5 Million
Smoking in California costs each individual more than $1.5 million during the course of their lifetime, according to a new study by the research firm WalletHub.
The costs include what is spent on tobacco and what it would generate if invested in the S&P 500 over a period of 51 years ($1.062 million), another $188,368 in additional medical costs, $243,352 in lost income, and $14,336 in other costs. California was the 17th most expensive state to smoke in.
