Five Palm Beach County, FL, hospitals were cited in 2007 for violating a federal law to prevent patient dumping. Federal records show the hospitals denied about 30 patients emergency specialty care they should have provided. None of the hospitals was fined or lost its Medicare license, the potential consequences of violations. The violations offer a snapshot of how emergency patients get passed among hospitals and highlight a broader crisis in emergency specialty care.
There were 1,002 cases of serious medical harm disclosed by California hospitals between July 2007 and May of this year, according to disclosures made under a state law that requires hospitals to inform health regulators of all substantial injuries to their patients. State investigators found some errors occurred because hospitals failed to follow safeguards designed specifically to prevent harm.
Adminstrators at the Oceanside, CA-based Tri-City Hospital were accused of compromising patient care by sending nurse's aides home to cut costs. Suellyn Ellerbe, chief operating officer and chief nurse executive, denied that patient care is being affected by sending nurse's aides home. In addition, CEO Arthur Gonzalez said surveys of patients and doctors show satisfaction with the level of nursing care at the hospital.
Florida has become the first state in the country to publicly disclose readmission rates of patients who return to hospitals because of errors, infections and other potentially preventable problems. The information was unveiled on the Web site FloridaHealthFinder.gov. State officials say the data can be invaluable for consumers trying to make better choices.
A study by the School of Population Health, University of Queensland, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal shows that 25% of healthcare-acquired infections could have been prevented with proper hospital staff-to-patient ratios. The Australian researchers also found that an increase in MRSA infections specifically is causing a reduction in the number of available hospital beds, despite decreasing staff levels.
Australian researchers report that the control of MRSA in hospitals can depend on overcrowding and understaffing. The team at the School of Population Health, University of Queensland also found that while the number of available beds in hospitals has decreased, the number of outpatients seeking care continues to rise. This problem is further complicated by a decreasing healthcare workforce.