Scripps Health Statement Regarding California Department of Public Health Administrative Penalties

Scripps believes strongly in patient safety standards, that is why we invest millions of dollars annually on staff, technology and facility upgrades toward providing high quality, safe health care services to our patients.

Today’s administrative penalty issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to Scripps Mercy Hospital is the result an unfortunate event that occurred on Sept. 1, 2008 at the San Diego campus. The event involved a transport ventilator that was not operating properly while in use with an ICU patient having an MRI.

We immediately self-reported the incident to the patient’s family and CDPH. We sincerely regret this event occurred and have apologized to the patient’s family and have maintained regular communications with them.

CDPH surveyed our facility on Sept. 10, 2008. We submitted a comprehensive plan for improvement, which was approved by the CDPH. That action plan addresses the underlying issues involved in the event. We believe we have made the necessary changes in our processes to prevent future events such as this from occurring.

While cases such as these are extremely rare when compared to the hundreds of thousands of patients we treat annually, to the patients and families involved they are tragic. Ultimately, delivering quality health care isn’t about statistics or surveys; it’s about providing the very best care to each patient who trusts Scripps with their care — one patient at a time.

Media Contact: Don Stanziano
Phone: 858-678-7486