Los Angeles: Nursing Homes Fined Over Patient Deaths

The Motion Picture & Television Hospital was one of three nursing homes fined over poor care that led to patient deaths. (Photo: Los Angeles Times)

Nursing home negligence: The state fined three Los Angeles County nursing homes as much as $80,000 apiece Tuesday after concluding that inadequate care led to patient deaths at the facilities.

•   The California Department of Public Health issued severe citations and heavy fines to three Los Angeles County nursing homes for poor care that led to patient’s deaths.

•   One of the patients died after falling down the same stairwell two weeks in a row.  

•   Another patient died after going into a diabetic coma after staff failed to monitor her blood glucose levels.

 •   A third patient who was known to be a fall risk died from a severe brain injury after falling out of his bed.  

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued Class AA citations to each of three facilities, according to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News. The Class AA citation is the most severe penalty allowed under state law.

The Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, Fountain View Subacute and Nursing Center in Los Angeles, and Downey Care Center in Downey all were cited and fined for poor care that led to the death of patients.

Investigators said the Motion Picture & Television Hospital failed to ensure a hazard-free environment and provide adequate supervision for a  a 90-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who died after she fell out of her wheelchair and down a stairwell in 2010. She had fallen down those same stairs a week earlier, CDHP officials said.  The facility was cited and fined $80,000.

The CDPH determined that Downey Care Center failed to monitor a patient’s blood glucose level after she was released from a hospital in 2010, according to the Los Angeles Times. The patient went into a diabetic coma and died. The facility was cited and fined $80,000.

CDHP officials said the Fountain View Subacute and Nursing Center failed to provide adequate supervision and proper care to an elderly patient who was known to be a high risk for falls.  The patient fell out of his bed and suffered a fatal brain injury in 2010. When facility staff found the patient on the floor, no one knew how long he had been there, CDHP investigators said. The facility was cited and fined $75,000.

The CDHP said the citations and fines are part of an enforcement process designed to improve the quality of care at the 1,300 skilled nursing facilities throughout the state.

Los Angeles Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented nursing home abuse and negligence victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.