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Hospital Fined Over Patient Safety Failures
12 Jan
Summary
- Hospital received four penalties totaling $265,125.
- Incidents included foreign objects, surgical errors, and patient deaths.
- The hospital has a history of "immediate jeopardy" citations since 2020.
Kaweah Health Medical Center in Visalia was penalized $265,125 for four "immediate jeopardy" violations between 2023 and 2025. These serious breaches, defined as posing an imminent danger to patients, included leaving foreign objects post-procedure and surgical errors. One incident on Christmas Day 2023 resulted in a patient's death, prompting a $60,375 fine.
Further penalties were issued for errors related to medical device insertions. In October 2024, a trainee inserted an incorrect line, leading to a second procedure and delayed dialysis, incurring a $68,906 fine. In March 2025, a guidewire was left in a patient for eight hours, causing respiratory distress, and resulted in a $60,375 penalty. Another guidewire remained in a patient for 11 days in October 2024, leading to an $75,469 fine.
These violations underscore significant patient safety lapses at Kaweah Health. The hospital has a record of ten "immediate jeopardy" citations since 2020. In response, the medical center stated that patient safety is its utmost priority and that it continuously works to improve processes and protocols to prevent future incidents.
