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Emergency care gets bad review

Brandon Regional Hospital is promising changes after a federal review cites problems.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 30, 2006

BRANDON - A federal review found Brandon Regional Hospital provided questionable treatment to three people who died there and had other problems in its emergency room, issues that could jeopardize its Medicare funding.

Brandon Regional Hospital executives said they were addressing issues raised by inspectors, and federal officials said they have approved some of the hospital's corrective actions.

Records obtained by the Tampa Tribune from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cover inspector visits to the hospital between December 2005 and February of this year.

One case concerned an emergency room patient who had test results that suggested internal bleeding July 5. The patient's condition worsened, and nurses tried to call a doctor several times during the night without success, records showed.

The patient eventually received medical attention but died, records showed.

Another case involved a patient who had a hernia operation Oct. 5, then died the next day of internal bleeding. The surgeon was found to have nicked the liver.

Staff doctors reviewed the case in December and found the surgeon did not have the credentials to perform the operation.

Records from a third case showed that a diabetic who went to the emergency room by ambulance Dec. 7 died after a delay in receiving fluids as ordered, including insulin, because of a nursing shift change.

The report also cited a case in which a patient with a history of heart disease who reported chest pains and difficulty breathing waited for 13 hours in the emergency room until a bed became available.

One inspection team found 39 admitted patients still in emergency, including one lying on the waiting room floor next to a magazine rack.

Inspectors from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, who conduct hospital reviews at Medicare's request, are expected to return to Brandon by May 11 to determine the hospital's progress.

Federal officials said they have approved all of Brandon's corrective actions except for emergency services.

The hospital has held training sessions for doctors and nurses and reduced the number of employees directors supervise.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to assure we're in compliance," hospital chief executive officer Michael Fencel said.

Brandon Regional has 327 inpatient beds and is owned by HCA Inc. of Nashville.

[Last modified April 30, 2006, 00:58:16]