By Walter F. Roche Jr.
A suicidal patient under a court committment order was able to abscond from a Bucks County hospital due to a lack of security controls and adequate staff at the facility.
According to a nine-page report from the Pennsylvania Health Department the patient was later found hiding behind a bush on the grounds of the Grand View Health facility in Sellersville.
The patient had been involuntarily placed in the facility under a court approved commitment order issued after the patient apparently attempted suicide by overdosing on fentanyl.
"The facility failed to provide a safe environment," the report states.
As a result of the Sept. 1 incident state surveyors on Sept. 9 declared a state of immediate jeopardy, forcing the hospital to prepare an immediate action plan to address the lack of adequate staff and security.
That plan included the hiring of an outside firm, installation of new security and alarm equipment and ensuring that patients judged suicidal be placed under virtually constant observation.
One of the added features would provide a system to automatically lock all exits from the hospital simultaneously.
Despite those additions, the hospital still failed to comply with patient rights requirements, according to the report.
The state surveyors reported that the suicidal patient had complained earlier on the day of the incident about not being immediately released. Later the patient couldn't be located and a "Code Yellow" was declared.
The patient who escaped from the hospital had also been placed under a one-on-one watch, but was nonetheless able to walk away.
Hospital officals did not respond to questions about the report.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Monday, October 25, 2021
Friday, October 22, 2021
Hospital Placed Patients in Danger
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
A 279-bed Pennsylvania hospital put two dozen patients in danger by failing to monitor the humidity in treatment rooms where surgeries and other procedures were being performed.
According to a recently released report on the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital in Wilkes-Barre the surgeries and procedures went ahead in the Valley Medical Building even when the humidity was well above the recommended level of 30 to 60 percent set by the hospital itself.
"Based on the seriousness of the non-compliance and the effect on patient outcomes the facility failed to substantially comply" with state requirements, the report states.
Calling the excess humidity a "structural failure" the report states that each instance should have been reported to the state agency.
"The hospital must be constructed and maintained to ensure the safety of the patient," the report states.
Hospital officials did not respond to questions concerning the report. The hospital did however file a corrective action plan including new procedures to ensure compliance.
The treating physicians, the inspectors from the state Health Department stated, failed to make note of the excess humidity in 24 of 24 patient records reviewed. And the state reviewers noted the treating physician should have been informed of the humidity and then made a decision on whether to cancel the procedure. The corrective action plan calls for staff to inform the doctor or other provider of excess humidity levels prior to the procedure.
The high humidity, the report notes, increases the risk of infection.
The procedures included plastic surgery, general surgery, dental treatments and eye surgery.
The humidity levels reached as high as 80 percent. In two of the treatment rooms no temperatures or humidity levels were even recorded. The corrective action plan calls for the installation of temperature and humidity monitors in those two rooms.
The inspectors also found that two of the rooms had never been approved by the state for use in performing dental procedures.
The facility "failed to ensure a clean environment" in four treatment rooms, the state surveyors concluded, noting dust and debris seen during the inspection.
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com
A 279-bed Pennsylvania hospital put two dozen patients in danger by failing to monitor the humidity in treatment rooms where surgeries and other procedures were being performed.
According to a recently released report on the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital in Wilkes-Barre the surgeries and procedures went ahead in the Valley Medical Building even when the humidity was well above the recommended level of 30 to 60 percent set by the hospital itself.
"Based on the seriousness of the non-compliance and the effect on patient outcomes the facility failed to substantially comply" with state requirements, the report states.
Calling the excess humidity a "structural failure" the report states that each instance should have been reported to the state agency.
"The hospital must be constructed and maintained to ensure the safety of the patient," the report states.
Hospital officials did not respond to questions concerning the report. The hospital did however file a corrective action plan including new procedures to ensure compliance.
The treating physicians, the inspectors from the state Health Department stated, failed to make note of the excess humidity in 24 of 24 patient records reviewed. And the state reviewers noted the treating physician should have been informed of the humidity and then made a decision on whether to cancel the procedure. The corrective action plan calls for staff to inform the doctor or other provider of excess humidity levels prior to the procedure.
The high humidity, the report notes, increases the risk of infection.
The procedures included plastic surgery, general surgery, dental treatments and eye surgery.
The humidity levels reached as high as 80 percent. In two of the treatment rooms no temperatures or humidity levels were even recorded. The corrective action plan calls for the installation of temperature and humidity monitors in those two rooms.
The inspectors also found that two of the rooms had never been approved by the state for use in performing dental procedures.
The facility "failed to ensure a clean environment" in four treatment rooms, the state surveyors concluded, noting dust and debris seen during the inspection.
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
State, Nursing Homes in Covid Dispute
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Pennsylvania Health Department officals say 100 nursing homes have failed to report full data on Covid-19 cases while 56 more have submitted inaccurate data, but nursing home owners say it is the state that has the wrong numbers.
In what has been a growing dispute the state recently began adding to a weekly Covid-19 report the number of facilties that it contends have been submitting inaccurate data. The most recent report states that 7.94 percent of 693 facility operators submitted inaccurate data, while 14.43 percent failed to submit the required data.
Officials of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which represents nursing home operators, disagree.
"Providers have seen countless inaccuracies, discrepancies and errors in the numbers that are publicly reported by the Department, said Zach Shamberg, head of the association. Rather than "point fingers" Shamberg said, the association has been urging the state to work with nursing home operators to iron out differences.
But Maggi Barton, a spokeswoman for the state agency, said the discrepancies even included some nursing homes "inputting the number of deaths as their number of cases."
"We continue to strive to get more facilities to report, and report accurately," Barton added, disputing the claim that the state has not tried to work with actual operators.
She said when the data reported by a nursing home is "clearly inadequate we will mark as 'no data' to ensure we can reflect the most accurate picture of COVID-19 impact in these facilities."
Officials of the nursing home association say that when they've told the state their numbers were wrong the state made no corrections.
Some nursing home operators say that the problem may stem at least in part from the fact that the nursing homes have to report their data into two different reporting systems, which have differing definitions of reporting requirements.
They also contend that some of the nursing homes listed by the state as deficient, may have closed or changed ownership.
One thing both sides do seem to agree on is the public's need for accurate data. With the right data, Barton said, the state can "efficiently inform the public of the impact of COVID-19 on each facility."
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Pennsylvania Health Department officals say 100 nursing homes have failed to report full data on Covid-19 cases while 56 more have submitted inaccurate data, but nursing home owners say it is the state that has the wrong numbers.
In what has been a growing dispute the state recently began adding to a weekly Covid-19 report the number of facilties that it contends have been submitting inaccurate data. The most recent report states that 7.94 percent of 693 facility operators submitted inaccurate data, while 14.43 percent failed to submit the required data.
Officials of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which represents nursing home operators, disagree.
"Providers have seen countless inaccuracies, discrepancies and errors in the numbers that are publicly reported by the Department, said Zach Shamberg, head of the association. Rather than "point fingers" Shamberg said, the association has been urging the state to work with nursing home operators to iron out differences.
But Maggi Barton, a spokeswoman for the state agency, said the discrepancies even included some nursing homes "inputting the number of deaths as their number of cases."
"We continue to strive to get more facilities to report, and report accurately," Barton added, disputing the claim that the state has not tried to work with actual operators.
She said when the data reported by a nursing home is "clearly inadequate we will mark as 'no data' to ensure we can reflect the most accurate picture of COVID-19 impact in these facilities."
Officials of the nursing home association say that when they've told the state their numbers were wrong the state made no corrections.
Some nursing home operators say that the problem may stem at least in part from the fact that the nursing homes have to report their data into two different reporting systems, which have differing definitions of reporting requirements.
They also contend that some of the nursing homes listed by the state as deficient, may have closed or changed ownership.
One thing both sides do seem to agree on is the public's need for accurate data. With the right data, Barton said, the state can "efficiently inform the public of the impact of COVID-19 on each facility."
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Friday, October 8, 2021
Breakthrough Covid Cases on the Rise in PA
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Breakthrough cases, Covid-19 patients who got sick after being vaccinated, are on the rise in Pennsylvania, but state health officials say it is not unexpected or a bad sign.
According to data released today`by the state Health Department 69,822 breakthrough cases have been reported which represents about 9 percent of the state's total of 771,734 Covid cases. That compares with 35,389 breathrough cases reported in mid-Septemer.
In addition 3,247 Covid breakthroughs have needed hospitalization, which is about seven percent of the state's total hospitalizations.
Deaths among breakthrough patients have hit 518 in Pennsylvania or about seven percent of total deaths.
In September the agency reported 213 breakthrough patient had died and 1,820 were hospitalized, In statements released today, state health officials said the increase in breakthrough cases was not unexpected, but noted that the number of breakthroughs resulting in hospitalizations and death did not increase by a comparable amount.
Acting Health Secretary Allison Beam said the data shows that outcomes for the vaccinated who later suffer breakthroughs are much less likely to suffer death or hospitalizations.
Acting Physician General Denise Johnson stated that an increase in breakthough cases was expected as more residents are vaccinated.
Breakthrough cases, Covid-19 patients who got sick after being vaccinated, are on the rise in Pennsylvania, but state health officials say it is not unexpected or a bad sign.
According to data released today`by the state Health Department 69,822 breakthrough cases have been reported which represents about 9 percent of the state's total of 771,734 Covid cases. That compares with 35,389 breathrough cases reported in mid-Septemer.
In addition 3,247 Covid breakthroughs have needed hospitalization, which is about seven percent of the state's total hospitalizations.
Deaths among breakthrough patients have hit 518 in Pennsylvania or about seven percent of total deaths.
In September the agency reported 213 breakthrough patient had died and 1,820 were hospitalized, In statements released today, state health officials said the increase in breakthrough cases was not unexpected, but noted that the number of breakthroughs resulting in hospitalizations and death did not increase by a comparable amount.
Acting Health Secretary Allison Beam said the data shows that outcomes for the vaccinated who later suffer breakthroughs are much less likely to suffer death or hospitalizations.
Acting Physician General Denise Johnson stated that an increase in breakthough cases was expected as more residents are vaccinated.
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