Ten months of inspections at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital: June 2024 to March 2025
The hospital was cited for giving a patient inaccurate mammogram results.
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital was cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for failing to properly investigate problems with its system for notifying patients of mammogram results last summer, after a patient who was initially told her results were normal was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The incident, first reported by The Inquirer in September, was among 16 times health department inspectors visited the Jefferson Health facility to investigate potential safety problems.
Here’s a look at the publicly available details:
July 11: Inspectors cited the hospital with the health department’s most serious warning, immediate jeopardy, for sending a patient incorrect mammogram results. Inspectors found that a patient had incorrectly been told that her mammogram showed no signs of breast cancer. The mistake was found a year later, when she needed three biopsies and was diagnosed with breast cancer. The patient should have received a letter indicating that her mammogram results were inconclusive, and requesting she schedule a follow-up scan. The hospital updated its protocol for reading mammograms to reduce the likelihood of another patient notification error.
July 22: Inspectors came to investigate a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance. Complaint details are not made public when inspectors determine it was unfounded.
July 26: Inspectors came to investigate a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
July 29: The Joint Commission, a nonprofit hospital accreditation agency, renewed the hospital’s accreditation, effective April 2024, for 36 months.
Aug. 8: Inspectors came to investigate a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Sept. 24: Inspectors followed up on the July citation regarding mammography results and found the hospital was in compliance.
Jan. 8: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Jan. 17: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Jan. 23: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Jan. 21: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Jan. 27: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Feb. 4: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Feb. 6: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Feb. 10: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Feb. 12: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Feb. 26: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
Mar. 25: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance.
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.
