Nine months of inspections at Lankenau Medical Center: February to October
The Main Line Health hospital was cited for failing to report suspected child abuse.
Lankenau Medical Center was cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for failing to report a suspected case of child sexual assault.
The May incident, first reported by The Inquirer in August, was one of six times state health inspectors visited the hospital, which is owned by Main Line Health, to investigate potential safety problems between February and October.
Here’s a look at the publicly available details:
Feb. 1: 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.
May 23: Inspectors visited for a special monitoring survey and found the hospital was in compliance.
May 23: Inspectors cited the hospital for failing to report that a girl who had been sexually and physically assaulted by three people came to Lankenau for medical attention. Health-care workers are among the professionals considered “mandated reporters” under Pennsylvania law, meaning they are required to report to the Department of Human Services any time they suspect abuse against a patient who is under age 18. The hospital retrained staff on mandatory reporting requirements and agreed to monitor cases for compliance.
Jun. 6: Inspectors visited for a special monitoring survey that lasted until Jun. 25 and found the hospital was in compliance.
Aug. 20: Inspectors followed up on the May citation for failing to report child abuse and found the hospital was in compliance.
Sept. 25: Inspectors visited the hospital’s Exton infusion center for a special monitoring survey and found the facility 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.
