Six months of inspections at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: September to February
CHOP was cited for sending a patient home without needed medication in January.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was cited for safety violations for sending a patient home without needed medication in January and not ensuring that all patients were informed of their rights.
The incident was one of three times state inspectors visited the Philadelphia hospital to investigate potential safety violations between September and February; the other complaints did not result in citations.
Here’s a look at the publicly available details:
Nov. 21: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance. Complaint details are not made public when inspectors determine it was unfounded.
Jan. 5: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Jan. 9: Inspectors found the hospital sent a patient home without needed medication after the order was accidentally canceled. The hospital said it would train all staff who prescribe medication how to electronically send medication orders to outside pharmacies. The hospital was also cited for not recording whether patients had received a Medicare rights notice. Inspectors found that six patient files did not have a copy of a signed “Important Message from Medicare” notice, which informs them of their rights. The hospital said it would ensure that all patients covered by Medicare received the Medicare notice and review patient records daily to check that staff were reviewing the form with patients.
Pennsylvania Department of Health routinely inspects hospitals to ensure the facility is safe for patients and that staff are following all safety protocols. Inspectors may also visit when a hospital staff member or patient files a complaint.
Not all safety violations spark an on-site investigation from inspectors. Hospitals are required to self-report the most serious safety violations and often work directly with the state to address them. Complaint details are not made public when inspectors determine it was unfounded.
The Inquirer tracks publicly available hospital reports related to a complaint, special monitoring, and general safety inspections. The Inquirer does not track inspections for new equipment or occupancy surveys, unless problems are identified.
Inspection reports are publicly available online and are released 40 days after the report is completed.
The Inquirer is publishing roundups of state inspection reports for Pa. hospitals in our coverage area.
