Mission Hospital Responds After Fine for Potentially Deadly Surgery

Yesterday the state announced itafter a surgeon left a tiny metal screw cap inside a woman following back surgery in early 2010. That mistake cost the hospital $100,000.

Susan Solomon, vice president of public relations for St. Joseph's Health System, discusses what's being done to prevent future accidents at the hospital.

Patch: What's being done to prevent future mistakes?

Solomon: We pursue what we call "perfect care." We immediately take corrective action and we look for improvement. In this incident, we improved surgical procedures and provided additional staff training.

Patch: So the hospital had to take a close look at its procedures after this mishap?

Solomon: Any sort of incident like that of course makes you look at your procedures and see what you can do to ensure a safe environment. Something like this is taken extremely seriously.

Patch: How can you reassure people the hospital is safe?

Solomon: The safety of our patients is our number one priority. We commit to provide a safe environment for every patient.

Patch: These fines are only given to hospitals who self-report mistakes to the state. Does that penalize hospitals for being forthright?

Solomon: No, it's our responsibility... to report these types of incidences. It is the responsibility of the health care organization to report these types of things. So I wouldn't say that, no.

Patch: How many surgeries are performed every year at Mission Hospital?

Solomon: We perform about 10,000 surgeries per year (in both the Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach locations). You can see that the incidences are uncommon.