UCLA Medical Center fined for patient safety violation

The California Department of Public Health fined the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center $50,000 for failing to ensure the health and safety of a patient, according to the health department statement released Thursday.

The medical center was one of 10 hospitals to receive penalties and fines by the Department of Public Health on Thursday. In total, they issued fines of $675,000.

According to a report on the UCLA medical center, a sponge was left in a patient’s abdomen after a 2011 surgery because surgical staff failed to follow a written policy and procedure on counting sponges.

A second surgery had to be done to remove the sponge, placing the patient at risk for possible additional complications, according to the press release.

Roxanne Moster, a UCLA Health System spokeswoman, said in an email statement that the medical center regrets the incident and has worked to improve safety measures.

After the incident, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center installed a digital sponge-counting system which tags and keeps track of sponges used during surgeries, Moster said.

Earlier this year, the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopedic Hospital was also penalized $50,000 by the California Department of Public Health for failing to ensure patient safety according to a report by the state health department.

Moster said they also changed policies to ensure patient safety at the Santa Monica hospital.

These were both of the hospitals’ first administrative penalties.

Compiled by Chandini Soni, Bruin senior staff.