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Health

San Diego Hospice Failed To Report Patient Data To State

By Joanne Faryon / Investigative Reporter,  Ryann Grochowski / Investigative Reporter,  Joanne Faryon / Investigative Reporter,  Ryann Grochowski / Investigative Reporter
Published March 11, 2013 at 3:00 AM PDT
This story was published more than 11 years ago.

San Diego Hospice failed to comply with a state law requiring disclosure of certain patient information two years in a row.

San Diego Hospice Failed To Report Patient Data To State
The troubled San Diego Hospice did not report patient information to the state back in 2009 and 2010 - information that would have indicated how long hospice patients received care.

Everyone is familiar with the high-profile and politically charged question, “When does life begin?” But as our friends and family members live longer and survive what once were commonly fatal ailments, another question takes center stage. When does end-of-life begin?
When Does End Of Life Begin
Everyone is familiar with the high-profile and politically charged question, “When does life begin?” But as our friends and family members live longer and survive what once were commonly fatal ailments, another question takes center stage. When does end-of-life begin?

Every year, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development requires health care providers, like hospices, to file certain patient information.

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San Diego Hospice did not file any of the required data with the state. Not in 2009 or 2010.

Among other things, hospices are required to report how many patients received care for six months or longer before they died or were discharged.

According to the state, the requirement allows for greater scrutiny and helps to set standards.

Failure to report the data could have resulted in a suspension of the hospice’s license, but no action was ever taken.

"CDPH (California Dept. of Public Health) received no complaint about a failure to report data and therefore, we did not investigate," CDPH spokesperson Ralph Montano said.

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San Diego Hospice filed for bankruptcy last month, in the wake of a two-year federal investigation, much of it centered on patient eligibility.

A spokesperson for the hospice says the data wasn’t filed with the state because of staff changes. San Diego Hospice also did not supply the missing data to the KPBS/inewsource Investigations Desk despite our request.

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Health Investigations Desk
Joanne Faryon
As an investigative reporter, Joanne Faryon worked with the team of journalists at inewsource, a nonprofit journalism enterprise embedded in the KPBS newsroom. Faryon has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, working in a print, radio and TV. She previously worked in Canada and the U.S., specializing in investigative reporting. During her time at KPBS, Faryon served as reporter, host, and producer for both TV and radio. Among her many stories and investigations is the 2010 look into the effectiveness of the Whooping Cough vaccine. The series of in-depth features lead the Centers for Disease Control re-examine their reporting and change their guidelines. Faryon’s work has been honored by the USC's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism with the Walter Cronkite Award for political journalism. The prestigious honor was for the Envision special, “Who’s Supervising San Diego?” – an in-depth look at the County’s Board of Supervisors. Faryon has also received an honorable mention from the National Press Foundation in 2010 for an in-depth look at the state's prison system as part of the Envision series. In addition, Faryon has earned two regional Emmys and several awards from the San Diego Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists. Her Canadian honors include a Manitoba Human Rights award for meritorious service for her investigative work on the Ku Klux Klan and right-wing extremism in Canada. Joanne has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Winnipeg and a creative communications diploma from Red River College.
See stories by Joanne Faryon
Ryann Grochowski
Ryann Grochowski is an investigative reporter for inewsource. Ryann focuses on politics, policy and campaign finance in her coverage. She uses data and statistics to bolster more traditional forms of reporting. She is a 2011 master’s graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she was a news editor at the Columbia Missourian and a data analyst for Investigative Reporters and Editors/National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. While in graduate school, she spent time reporting on political issues for inewsource in Washington, D.C. Ryann was formerly a city beat reporter at The Citizens’ Voice in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where she was part of an award-winning team that covered judicial and governmental corruption in the area. She also moonlighted as a copy editor and page designer. She is a Pennsylvania native and a graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre.
 Contact Ryann at ryanngrochowski@inewsource.org.
See stories by Ryann Grochowski
Joanne Faryon
As an investigative reporter, Joanne Faryon worked with the team of journalists at inewsource, a nonprofit journalism enterprise embedded in the KPBS newsroom. Faryon has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, working in a print, radio and TV. She previously worked in Canada and the U.S., specializing in investigative reporting. During her time at KPBS, Faryon served as reporter, host, and producer for both TV and radio. Among her many stories and investigations is the 2010 look into the effectiveness of the Whooping Cough vaccine. The series of in-depth features lead the Centers for Disease Control re-examine their reporting and change their guidelines. Faryon’s work has been honored by the USC's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism with the Walter Cronkite Award for political journalism. The prestigious honor was for the Envision special, “Who’s Supervising San Diego?” – an in-depth look at the County’s Board of Supervisors. Faryon has also received an honorable mention from the National Press Foundation in 2010 for an in-depth look at the state's prison system as part of the Envision series. In addition, Faryon has earned two regional Emmys and several awards from the San Diego Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists. Her Canadian honors include a Manitoba Human Rights award for meritorious service for her investigative work on the Ku Klux Klan and right-wing extremism in Canada. Joanne has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Winnipeg and a creative communications diploma from Red River College.
See stories by Joanne Faryon
Ryann Grochowski
Ryann Grochowski is an investigative reporter for inewsource. Ryann focuses on politics, policy and campaign finance in her coverage. She uses data and statistics to bolster more traditional forms of reporting. She is a 2011 master’s graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she was a news editor at the Columbia Missourian and a data analyst for Investigative Reporters and Editors/National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. While in graduate school, she spent time reporting on political issues for inewsource in Washington, D.C. Ryann was formerly a city beat reporter at The Citizens’ Voice in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where she was part of an award-winning team that covered judicial and governmental corruption in the area. She also moonlighted as a copy editor and page designer. She is a Pennsylvania native and a graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre.
 Contact Ryann at ryanngrochowski@inewsource.org.
See stories by Ryann Grochowski
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