PROTECT CONSUMER JUSTICE.ORG

The announcement of yet another round of fines against California hospitals for incidents that should never happen in a hospital emphasizes the need for state lawmakers to adopt tougher restrictions holding the health care industry more fully accountable for negligent acts.

The Atlantic: A Johns Hopkins University study found failure to diagnose such conditions as heart attack and stroke in intensive care patients could result in more than 40,000 deaths annually.

American Medical News (American Medical Association): A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General found hospitals reported only 8% of the adverse events they were required to report to their state agencies.

Los Angeles Times: A national report card gave nearly half of U.S. hospitals a grade of C of lower in patient safety.

More than 90 percent of medical devices do not require proof that they have been clinically tested and found to be safe and effective prior to being cleared by the FDA for distribution or sale.

The California Department of Public Health handed penalties to 14 hospitals for “noncompliance with licensing requirements [that] caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients.”

Steven Olsen was a bright 2-year-old when medical negligence left him profoundly brain damaged. Two decades later, his parents remain potent advocates for correcting California’s $250,000 cap on human suffering.