A new report says the California Department of Public Health has dropped the ball on enforcing new patient safety laws in hospitals. The non-profit Consumers Union says the state isn't keeping the public fully informed.
The patient safety laws require the state to track medical errors at hospitals and vaccination rates of health care workers by hospital. That information is supposed to be released to the public.
Betsy Imholz is with Consumers Union. She says the Department of Public Health isn't in compliance.
"On medical errors, the information is supposed to be readily accessible to the public," Imholz points out. "And you really have to dig to find it. And on hospital acquired infections, where there is also supposed to be information posted, there is none at all, and the department has acknowledged that."
Imholz says the department has done a good job in penalizing hospitals for preventable errors. A number of San Diego hospitals have been fined.
