Six months of inspections at Paoli Hospital: December 2023 to May
The Main Line Health hospital avoided a citation for a medication issue by fixing the problem before inspectors arrived.
State inspectors found Paoli Hospital had mismanaged anesthesia in a patient’s case in February, but did not cite the hospital because the problems were fixed before inspectors arrived.
The incident was one of two times inspectors visited the Chester County hospital to investigate potential safety problems between December 2023 and May.
Here’s a look at the publicly available details:
Feb. 14: Inspectors found the hospital had violated patient safety rules related to medical staff responsibilities, but that the issue had been corrected before the inspection. Since it was fixed, inspectors did not detail the problem, but did describe the steps the hospital took to address the Feb. 8 incident. The hospital said it would stock and store IV bags of pitocin, a medication used to induce labor or treat postpartum hemorrhage, in anesthesia carts inside the C-section operating room, “where only anesthesia can access and remove them.” The hospital’s pharmacy added high risk-colored labels to pitocin bags. The attending anesthesiologist on the case and all other anesthesia staff were re-educated on the five rights of medication delivery, a standard protocol to reduce medication errors by checking for the right patient, the right drug, the right time, the right dose, and the right route.
Apr. 16: Inspectors investigated a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance. Complaint details are not made public when inspectors determine it was unfounded.
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.
