Nine months of inspections at Phoenixville Hospital: January to September
The Tower Health-owned hospital was cited for failing to document less restrictive means of subduing patients before using physical restraints on their arms and legs.
Phoenixville Hospital was cited by state health inspectors for using physical restraints on patients without documenting whether they had first tried less extreme approaches to subduing them.
The incident was one of four times the Pennsylvania Department of Health visited the hospital, which is part of Tower Health, to investigate potential safety problems in the first nine months of the year.
Here’s a look at the publicly available details:
Apr. 24: 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 14: Inspectors cited the hospital for discharging a patient to another facility without proper orders for the transfer. The hospital responded by updating its policies to make transfer instructions clearer.
Jun. 3: Inspectors cited the hospital for using physical restraints on patients without evidence that staff had first tried other less restrictive means of subduing them, as is required by law. In one case, a patient’s arms were restrained; another patient’s arms and legs were restrained. Inspectors also found that patients put in restraints were not evaluated by a doctor within an hour, as required. The issue was identified in two of 10 patient cases reviewed. The hospital educated staff on restraint policies and agreed to monitor patient cases.
Sept. 12: Inspectors followed up on the complaints from May and June and found the hospital 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.
