Sonoma Developmental Center Terminated From Medi-Cal
The California Department of Public Health has moved to terminate the troubled Sonoma Developmental Center's ability to participate in the Medi-Cal program.
It's a rare instance of one California government entity taking action against another. Sonoma, which operates 15 residential care facilities for about 170 disabled children and adults in California, is operated by the state Department of Development Services.
The CDPH took the action on July 25, after Sonoma failed to improve operations in a variety of areas. They included better on-site pest control, on-site repairs and maintaining the integrity of the food served at its facilities. It also failed to engage in active record-keeping and “did not assure individuals received a continuous active treatment program with opportunities to practice new or existing skills and to make choices in their daily routines,” according to the CDPH inspection report.
Sonoma had agreed last year to correct a variety of lapses in patient care and safety identified by CDPH. Although the agency acknowledged that Sonoma had made some progress, it was not sufficient to continue to receive federal funding.
The decision impacts 11 of Sonoma's centers; four others were terminated from the Medi-Cal program last year.
Sonoma has 90 days to appeal the decision. Its executive director, Karen Faria, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The CDPH was not able to immediately say how much of Sonoma's funding comes from Medi-Cal, which is the state version of the Medicaid program. CDPH acts as an inspecting intermediary on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
In a statement, CDPH said Sonoma would
continue to operate during the appeals process, and that it could reply for reinstatement into the Medi-Cal program if it is able to correct all its deficiencies.
In other actions, the CDPH levied $1.025 million in fines against nine hospitals for lapses of care that were determined to place patients in immediate jeopardy of their lives. Two of the patients died, records show.
Altogether, 14 citations were issued, primarily for incidents that occurred in 2011 and 2012. The details of four were not published because they fell under a state confidentialty law. The CDPH normally will not discuss such cases.
Southwest Healthcare in Murrieta received four penalties and $400,000 in fines in total, including an incident where a patient fell out of their bed and later died from a subdural hematoma to the skull.
Southwest has received 11 administrative penalties to date, the most of any hospital, and four so far this year. Two of the incidents for which it was cited were kept confidential under California law, according to information on the CDPH website.
Kaiser Permanente's hospital in Anaheim also received a $50,000 fine for accidentually administering excessive blood thinners to a patient, leading to their death. It was that hospital's first administrative penalty.
St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley received its first two administrative penalties and fines totaling $125,000.
Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs received two penalties. The details of the first of Desert Valley’s penalties was undisclosed. It has been penalized and fined three times in 2014, according to CDPH data.
CDPH also fined Northridge Hospital Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley $50,000 for a lapse in patient care that remained undisclosed under California law.
