Hoag fined for patient’s death

The California Department of Public Health has fined Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian for failing to monitor a patient with an irregular heartbeat who subsequently died, state officials announced Thursday.

A state investigation into the incident found the patient, who came to the emergency room at Hoag complaining of chest pains in December, was disconnected from a cardiac monitor for more than 30 minutes during his stay at the hospital.

The patient went into cardiac arrest while his heart rate was not being monitored and died, according to a state report on the incident.

Hoag has since taken steps to prevent a similar incident from happening again, President and Chief Executive Richard Afable said in a written statement.

“To prevent a future occurrence, we added additional staffing on the unit so that one person is able to constantly observe the heart monitors without distractions and immediately inform the nurse of rhythm changes,” Afable said. “In addition, staff has been reeducated on their roles and responsibilities related to heart monitoring and communication of rhythm changes.”

The Department of Public Health fined Hoag $25,000 for failing to ensure the health and safety of the patient who died.

“We look at what the hospital is required to do and what their policies and procedures are, and if those policies and procedures are consistent with patient care. They were out of compliance with their own policies,” said Ralph Montano, a spokesman for the California Department of Public Health.

The agency has doled out 99 penalties to 67 hospitals across the state since it began its administrative penalties program in 2007. This is the second administrative penalty state health officials have given Hoag. The hospital was fined in 2008 after a retractor blade was left in a patient’s abdomen after a surgical procedure.

The patient had to undergo a second surgery to have the blade removed.