A San Francisco long-term care hospital has been fined $100,000 for the death of an elderly woman suffering from dementia, having been cited for serious lapses in care. State officials said Laguna Honda Hospital "failed to review, evaluate, update and implement the care plan" for 82-year-old Hui Su, who died from blunt force injuries. Police reports seem to suggest that Su fell from a third-story window, though hospital officials dispute this account. A hospital staffer was supposed to sit in Su's room and monitor her, but didn't arrive in time to prevent the death, according to a facility supervisor. The 1,065 bed facility is run by the city's Department of Public Health, which is appealing the fine.
To find out more about the controversy:
- read this San Francisco Chronicle article [1]
Related Article:
CA bill would allow hospital fines. Report [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/27/BAGASOS7431.DTL&hw=health+care&sn=011&sc=413
[2] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/ca-bill-would-allow-hospital-fines/2006-08-28