Rhode Island Hospital Slapped with Record Fine

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

GoLocalProv Lifestyle Editor Andrea E. McHugh

Rhode Island Hospital (RIH) was hit Tuesday with a $300,000 fine by the Rhode Island Department of Health for an August 4th incident when, during neurosurgery, a small piece of a drill bit broke off and was left lodged in a patient's scalp. The Department of Health conducted a joint investigation with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and discovered that the hospital is not actively ensuring that the operating room staff is following existing hospital policy. RIH’s surgical count policy states that if a surgical tool or device is unaccounted for at the end of surgery, an x-ray of the patient should be done before the patient leaves the operating room to assure that the tool or device is not inside the patient. In the August incident, no x-ray was taken and the surgical count was documented as correct. “We found evidence they were not following their policies once again,” said Dr. David Gifford, Director of the Department of Health, “and the staff was reporting issues in the operating room that weren’t addressed.” Gifford added that operating room staff reported the anesthesiologist neglected to wear a mask during administration as well. “It’s a continued pattern of non-compliance with their own policies and procedures,” added Gifford.

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Gifford noted the $300,000 penalty is the department’s highest issued fine in state history, to the best of his knowledge, and double than the previous wrong-side surgery which occurred in September 2009, when a RIH surgeon operated on the wrong finger of a patient. Prior to that, the hospital made headlines in 2007 after three separate brain surgeries were done in the wrong location and when a surgeon operated on the wrong side of the mouth on a patient with a cleft palate.

Gifford added that he hopes the momentous amount “will get the attention of the staff, leadership and board [to make the necessary changes].” In addition, CMS has asked the Department of Health to conduct a full survey of all areas of the hospital and to ensure that the hospital is in compliance with all of the Conditions for Participation for Medicare.