Scripps Health Statement Regarding Administrative Penalties

For more than 80 years, Scripps has provided high quality health care for the people of San Diego. Each year, more than 400,000 patients trust us with their care.

It is important for the public to understand that each of these incidents is self-reported by the hospitals involved. At Scripps, we take our obligation to report the occurrence of any one of the 28 “adverse events” very seriously (as outlined in the new state law that took effect Jan. 1, 2008). In fact, we have been proactive and diligent in our efforts to share this information with the state.

Of the three penalties mentioned in today’s California Department of Public Health statement, the two at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla involve the same patient. Scripps Green Hospital and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have implemented process improvements to address these issues and monitoring tools to ensure compliance. In both cases the patients involved were not harmed.

We welcome the state’s feedback and use their input to make appropriate policy and procedure changes to further improve the care we provide. We believe this process makes us a better health care provider.

Media Contact:
Don Stanziano
858-678-7486