In Brief: CDPH Fines Four Nursing Facilities

The California Department of Public Health has issued four class AA penalties – the most severe under law -- against nursing homes within the state since last September, records show.

            Imperial Care Center in Studio City received a penalty and a $100,000 fine for a 2015 incident in which a patient sustained several falls, including one that led to a head injury and his death. The patient had been assessed as having a high risk for falling. Despite a fall plan being in place, restraints and other preventative measures in the plan were not used.

            Saint John of God Retirement and Care Center in Los Angeles was fined $100,000 for an incident that occurred last March that led to a patient’s sudden death. Despite the patient having a history of dementia and other health conditions, he was improperly assessed after complaining of shortness of breath. He had apparently contracted sepsis and died at a nearby hospital.

            View Heights Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles was fined $100,000 for an incident that occurred last July, when a 40-year-old female patient complaining of heartburn collapsed, had a heart attack and died. It was determined that facility’s staff had ignored eight hours of such complaints, and did not take the patient’s history of heart problems and other health issues under consideration.

            Hemet Valley Medical Center received a $25,000 fine for a 2016 incident where a patient suffered multiple falls, including one that led to a head injury and death. Federal investigators determined that the patient was not properly assessed regarding a variety of drugs that had been prescribed and their potential interactions.