Six months of inspections at Temple University Hospitals: August to January
Temple's Episcopal Campus was cited for failing to update patient treatment plans.
Temple University Hospital’s Episcopal Campus was cited by state inspectors in January for failing to document that treatment plans for mental and behavioral health patients were reviewed and updated every 30 days.
Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act requires hospitals to review treatment plans for each patient every 30 days and record the review, as well as any updates, in the patient’s medical record.
Inspectors reviewed four cases involving two current patients, and two patients who had been released earlier in 2023 after treatment for schizophrenia. In all four cases, inspectors found no evidence that Episcopal had reviewed their treatment plans every 30 days as required.
The hospital said it would create a new template in its electronic health record to ensure doctors complete the 30-day plan reviews and record them in patients’ medical records.
Staff were trained on the requirement, and administrators agreed to audit medical records of patients staying longer than 30 days to check for compliance.
The citation stemmed from one of three times inspectors visited Temple’s main hospital, Jeanes, or Episcopal campuses between August and January.
Here’s a look at the publicly available details:
Sept. 9: Inspectors investigated a complaint and found it was substantiated, but that the hospital had corrected the problem before inspectors arrived. Details of the complaint were not provided.
Jan. 10: 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.
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.
