State health experts say Fresno Surgical Hospital at Fresno and Bullard -- failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient - when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. This resulted in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a foreign object. This is the first administrative penalty issued to the hospital -- with a fine of $50 thousand.
The CEO of the facility released a statement saying: "Fresno Surgical Hospital is unable to comment on the specifics of our current administrative penalty. Though we understand there is public interest in knowing the details, regulatory guidelines and the health insurance portability and accountability act -- or HIPAA compliance -- restrict us from releasing any information."
13 other hospitals across the state also received fines totaling $850 thousand.
