CA hospitals reported 6,282 adverse events over four years

In the last four fiscal years, California hospitals have reported more than 6,000 adverse events to the California Department of Public Health, but the number of actual adverse events could be higher, according to an NBC Bay Area investigative report. As many as 400,000 U.S. residents die annually from adverse events at hospitals, according to a study published last year in the Journal of Patient Safety. Under California law, hospitals are required to report adverse events to DPH, which publishes them in an annual report. Hospital names, dates that the events occurred and fines are not revealed in the report. According to NBC Bay Area, DPH conducts on-site inspections in response to hospitals reporting adverse events.