Whittier Skilled Nursing Facility Fined For Death of Elder
A Whittier nursing facility was fined $75,000 after a state investigation found that a wrongly inserted stomach tube led to a patient's death in 2008, it was announced today.
The Orchard -- Post Acute Care, previously known as Royal Court Health Care, failed to follow policies and procedures related to patient assessment, monitoring and care, according to Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health.
The facility has 10 days to appeal the fine.
The state probe found that nursing home staff mistakenly inserted a gastrostomy tube into a 78-year-old male patient by failing to place it all the way into the stomach, causing respiratory failure and septic shock.
The patient, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other health issues, died six days later.
All nursing facilities in California are required to be in compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations governing health care facilities.
Along with the fine, the facility received a "AA" citation, the most severe category under state law, according to the DPH.
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