Law Practice
Oct. 8, 2008
Higher Penalties for Medical Errors Put Hospitals on Defensive
A new state law targeting medical mistakes allows for fines against hospitals of up to $50,000 for a first violation, and $75,000 and $100,000 second and third violations during a three-year period. Hospital attorneys said the higher penalties will threaten already strapped institutions while doing little to improve the quality of care. The legislator who wrote the bill said the fines underscore that recklessness in patient care will not be tolerated.
By Evan George
Daily Journal Staff Writer LOS ANGELES - When two patients underwent prostate biopsies last October at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a labeling error at the lab led doctors to remove the healthy patient's prostate and lymph nodes while leaving the other patient's cancer untreated. State health officials fined Harbor-UCLA the maximum amount of $25,000 for the mistakes, which they considered a type of violation tagged "immediate jeo...
Daily Journal Staff Writer LOS ANGELES - When two patients underwent prostate biopsies last October at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a labeling error at the lab led doctors to remove the healthy patient's prostate and lymph nodes while leaving the other patient's cancer untreated. State health officials fined Harbor-UCLA the maximum amount of $25,000 for the mistakes, which they considered a type of violation tagged "immediate jeo...
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