Affiliates:
Planned Parenthood Keystone
covers Central and Eastern Pennsylvania
Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania
Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania
Locations: 23. Covered here: 23
Patients who feel a need to file a complaint:
Pennsylvania Department of Health Online Complaint Intake
Entire State
On November 24, 2020, employees of Planned Parenthood released an open letter alleging racism and poor management of severe budget cuts. It was signed by the entire staff. The letter demanded the resignation of Executive Director Emily Callum. She resigned on December 1, 2020.
Article in The Daily Beast:
Planned Parenthood’s Pennsylvania Chapter Director Resigns After Racism Claims
by Emily Shugerman, December 2, 2020
Western Pennsylvania Affiliate
These screenshots are from a video from More Perfect Union: Building Power for Working People. It’s about union organizing for Planned Parenthood. The video advocates the mission of Planned Parenthood and argues that its efforts will help make the mission more effective.
Letter admitting overbilling problem from HRSA audit, 340B Drug Pricing Program
Allentown
Health Violation Documents:
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
There were expired medications in the emergency kit.
Staff
The facility failed to perform criminal background checks on some of its employees.
Medical Records and Labels
Boxes of patient records were stored under water-stained ceiling tiles. The boxes weren’t stored in a manner that prevented water damage.
Privacy
The facility failed to keep medical records with patient information private. Medical records were stored in a manner where patients’ names were visible.
Incidents
A woman’s uterus was perforated during surgery and she was transferred to a hospital. The facility failed to notify the woman of her complication in writing, as required.
A second woman hemorrhaged after surgery, suffering from “excessive bleeding with noticeable large clots.” Staff called 911 and she was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The facility didn’t conduct an internal investigation into the incident and failed to report the complication to the Department of Patient Safety Authority as required. The facility also failed to evaluate and discuss the case at its Patient Safety Committee Meeting and made no recommendations to prevent such events in the future.
Treatment of Patients
The facility failed to ensure that there was a licensed nurse on duty in the recovery room. Patients were therefore not properly monitored for complications after surgery.
The facility failed to ensure only nonflammable agents were used for pre-surgical preparations. The facility was using an improper surgical prep (chlorhexidine gluconate solution 4.0%) to prepare patients’ cervixes for surgery.
The facility failed to administer RhoGAM shots to every patient who was Rh-negative. Without a RhoGAM shot, an Rh-negative patient can develop Rh sensitization after surgery. Rh sensitization can lead to stillbirth, infant death, or medical complications for the infant and mother in a later pregnancy.
PA Allentown Indeed 1
Indeed.com Planned Parenthood Employee Reviews in Allentown, PA
PA Allentown Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Allentown Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Allentown Google 3. Accessed 11.10.22.
PA Allentown Google 4. Accessed 11.10.22.
PA Allentown Google 5. Accessed 11.10.22.
PA Allentown Yelp 1
PA Allentown Yelp 2
Bensalem
PA Bensalem Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bensalem Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bensalem Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bensalem Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bensalem Google 5. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bensalem Google 6. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bensalem Yelp 1
PA Bensalem Yelp 2
Bridgeville
PA Bridgeville Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bridgeville Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Bridgeville Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
Coatesville
PA Coatesville Google 1. Accessed 10.12.22.
PA Coatesville Google 2. Accessed 10.12.22.
PA Coatesville Google 3. Accessed 10.12.22.
PA Coatesville Yelp 1
Greensburg
Google reviews / No Yelp reviews page
PA Greensburg Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Greensburg Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Greensburg Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Greensburg Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Greensburg Google 4. Accessed 11.10.22.
Harrisburg
Health Violation Documents:
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
One of the patient restrooms was found to be dirty.
One of the exam tables was ripped, and the tear was held together with duct tape.
Staff
An employee had long fingernails with acrylic nail polish, which inspectors felt created an unsanitary situation.
The facility failed to conduct performance reviews for four out of five employees.
Medical Records and Labels
The facility didn’t keep copies of reports that were submitted to the Health Department.
PA Harrisburg Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
\
PA Harrisburg Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Harrisburg Google 3. Accessed 11.10.22.
PA Harrisburg Google 4. Accessed 11.10.22.
PA Harrisburg Yelp 1
Johnstown
Google reviews / The Yelp review page was unclaimed.
PA Johnstown Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Johnstown Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
Lancaster
Dr. Daniel J. Wert Health Center
PA Lancaster Yelp 1
Media
PA Media Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Media Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Media Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Media Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Media Google 5. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Media Google 6. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Media Google 7. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Media Google 8. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Media Google 9. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Media Yelp 1
PA Media Yelp 2
PA Media Yelp 3
PA Media Yelp 4
Moon Township
Closed until further notice.
PA Moon Township Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
Norristown
Health Violation Document:
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
According to the health inspection report, the facility “failed to provide a functional and sanitary environment for the provision of surgical services” and didn’t “adhere to professionally acceptable standards of practice for the sterilization and disinfection of equipment.”
Machines for sterilizing equipment were only given spore tests (mold tests) monthly when manufacturer’s instructions require weekly tests.
Surgical instruments were covered with rust. This included suture scissors, speculums, and other instruments. These instruments were being used on patients.
There was no emergency call system in the operating room or the recovery room. There was no intercom in the exam room.
The facility had no cardiac monitors or defibrillators. The facility also didn’t have any tracheostomy supplies, which might be needed in an emergency.
The facility failed to ensure that there was a “properly conditioned air supply in critical areas of the facility.”
The facility failed to monitor the temperature and humidity in operating rooms or the recovery room.
There was no nurse’s station in direct view of the recovery room.
There were no cubicle curtains for patient privacy in the recovery room.
There was no scrub station located near the operating room.
The facility’s Soiled Storage Room, where biohazardous waste was stored, was a small closet. The facility had no provision for disposing of fluid waste.
There was no area where staff could change their clothes or put on scrubs.
Dirty instruments, linens, and other items are supposed to be kept separate from clean ones and kept in different areas. Instead, sinks and counters were used for both dirty and clean items. Wrapped sterile supplies were stored in the same area as dirty items. Syringes and needles were also stored close to dirty items.
There were no temperature, humidity, or ventilation monitors where sterile supplies were stored.
Medical waste wasn’t kept in a designated area but scattered throughout the facility.
Bathrooms were not equipped with hardware that allowed staff to enter them if a patient was having a medical emergency.
There were no grab bars in the bathrooms. Therefore, they were not handicapped accessible.
Doorways, including entrances and exits from the facility, were too narrow to accommodate a gurney in case of an emergency.
The facility had no oxygen or vacuum available for emergencies.
Clean and sterile items were kept in the same area as blood and urine samples.
The facility had no room dedicated to laboratory tests.
Staff used dirty, unsterilized brushes to clean instruments.
Bottles of Tylenol with codeine, which is a controlled substance, weren’t stored in a double-locked cabinet and were therefore accessible to unauthorized persons.
Staff
There were no employees trained in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) for surgical procedures performed on children under 18 years of age. None of the doctors, nurses, or other employees were trained to conduct CPR on minors. Yet the facility had performed surgery on 77 minors in the past 11 months.
The facility didn’t have processes in place to perform criminal background checks on employees before hiring. They were not conducting background checks.
The facility failed to conduct annual performance evaluations on half of its employees.
None of the facility’s doctors were licensed to administer anesthesia, but they were administering anesthesia anyway.
Treatment of Patients
The facility didn’t have a contract or agreement with an ambulance service, putting patients in danger in case of emergencies.
Staff failed to monitor patients’ oxygen saturation while they were under anesthesia. The facility had no equipment capable of monitoring oxygen saturation. This created a risk for patients.
The facility was giving expired medications to patients.
PA Norristown Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Norristown Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Norristown Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Norristown Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Norristown Google 5. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Google 6. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Google 7. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Google 8. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Google 9. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Google 10. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Google11. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Google 12. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Norristown Yelp 1
PA Norristown Yelp 2
Philadelphia (entire city)
Indeed.com Planned Parenthood Employee Reviews in Philadelphia, PA
PA Philadelphia Indeed 1
PA Philadelphia Indeed 2
Philadelphia
Castor Avenue
`
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 5. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 6. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 7. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 8. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 9. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 10. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 11. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 12. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 13. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 14. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 15. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 16. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 17. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 18. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 19. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 20. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 21. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Google 22. Accessed 11.29.22.
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Yelp 1
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Yelp 2
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Yelp 3
PA Philadelphia Castor Avenue Yelp 4
Philadelphia
Elizabeth Blackwell /
Locust Street
Health Violation Documents:
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
According to the inspection report “the facility failed to provide a safe and sanitary environment.”
The cushion of a bench patients were expected to sit on was covered with multiple dark stains – likely blood or bodily fluids.
The area where drugs, including narcotics, were stored wasn’t periodically checked by a pharmacist or practitioner, and no log was kept.
The facility failed to maintain temperatures per established guidelines in the Recovery Area. It was too cold.
20 Gauze Sponge packets used in surgery were stored under a sink in the procedure room.
The facility’s lab refrigerator/freezer, for storing control tests, had a buildup of ice.
All of the wraps and pouches of sterilized instruments had wet stains on them.
A metal container in the sterile processing room wasn’t properly sterilized.
There were multiple darkened stained areas on the carpeted floor in the recovery room.
The facility had no policy on how long to soak instruments in sterilizing solution as per the manufacturer’s instructions. This could lead to instruments being used on women that weren’t properly sterilized.
The facility failed to properly store human tissue, creating unsanitary conditions. Biohazardous waste was stored in an unlocked refrigerator in an unlocked closet. Biohazard bags were undated.
The facility was cited for numerous health code violations, and the facility’s administration submitted a plan of correction. When the inspectors came back the next year, this plan hadn’t been implemented. According to the report: “the facility failed to correct deficient practice and failed to follow the Plan of Correction submitted to, and accepted by, the Department of a full State Licensure survey… for one of six deficiencies cited.”
Staff
The facility failed to request and consider reports from the National Practitioner Data Bank for employees, which is a tool to prevent medical professionals from moving from state to state without disclosing previous medical malpractice.
Treatment of Patients
The facility wasn’t reporting statutory rape or sexual assault of minors. They had no policy in place to do so.
In 6 of 6 cases of pregnant minors under 16, the facility failed to ascertain whether the girls were victims of abuse by an adult and failed to report the incidents. These were four 13-year-olds and two 14-year-olds who were pregnant. No questions were asked, and no reports were made. Two of the minors reported that their first sexual intercourse occurred when they were twelve or younger. This wasn’t reported.
The facility failed to do physical examinations and assess patients’ physical status before administering anesthesia and doing surgery.
The facility failed to have a doctor supervise the nurse who gave anesthesia, nor were any doctors certified to give this supervision. The nurse giving anesthesia was not registered with the National Practitioner Data Bank.
Incidents
A patient suffered a “serious event,” i.e., a complication, and the facility failed to notify her in writing of the complication within seven days, as required.
Other
When the entity that owns the facility (Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania) held a Risk and Quality Management meeting for all its affiliates, no one from the facility attended.
No policy for sex abuse reporting
Document:
Excerpt:
Based on feedback from surveyor during the August 29, 2013 survey, the surgical center manager reviewed Pennsylvania State law and PPSP protocols specific to mandatory reporting at center staff meeting on September 17, 2013. PPSP Chief Operating Officer and Manager of Center Quality with legal consultation will revise current protocol to include language on when to ascertain if the child had sexual intercourse with an individual who was four or more years older than the child. The revised protocol will be in place by January 15, 2014 . . .
Lack of documentation when reporting child sexual abuse as revealed in survey 8/29/13 was reviewed at the 9/17/13 center staff meeting. Detailed instructions on required documentation was reviewed.
Google reviews / Yelp reviews – Elizabeth Blackwell Center.
There are different Google reviews for the Locust Street Center at the same address, and no Yelp reviews page was found. Reviews from both are copied below.
This is one of the cases where there were many reviews not included because they briefly listed the same problems that were covered in more detail by other reviews.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
Note: The official Nexplanon website is clear that the implant should be removed after 3 years, no more.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 5. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 6. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 7. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 8. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 10. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 11. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 12. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 13. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 14. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 15. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 16. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 17. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 18. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 19. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Google 20. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Yelp 1
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Yelp 2
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Yelp 3
PA Philadelphia Blackwell Locust Yelp 4
Philadelphia
Far Northeast
Health Violation Document:
PA Philadelphia – Far Northeast 2015
Highlights:
Potentially infectious pathological waste was improperly stored. The facility had no freezer or refrigerator for storing human tissue, so they stored it at room temperature. Staff didn’t use preservatives, but simply boxed the tissue to be picked up by a waste disposal company. This presented a health hazard due to potentially decomposing human tissue.
PA Philadelphia Far Northeast Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Far Northeast Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Philadelphia Far Northeast Google 3. Accessed 12.01.22.
Pittsburgh
Health Violation Documents:
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
According to the inspection report, “the facility failed to keep the premises and equipment clean.”
There were multiple large stains on the carpet on the floor of the patient waiting room.
In the ultrasound room, there was heavy dust on the sharps container, paper towel dispenser, and picture frames.
In the operating rooms, there was excessive dust on picture frames, paper towel dispensers, cabinet tops, and door frames.
In the dirty utility room, there was a buildup of dried sanitizing material adhering to the bottom and sides of the wash station. This was where instruments were cleaned.
The facility failed to maintain medications within the recommended temperature ranges noted on the manufacturer packaging for four out of four medications.
Staff
The facility failed to document background checks on employees, as was required.
Google reviews – Family Planning Center / Google reviews – Abortion Center / Yelp reviews
PA Pittsburgh Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Pittsburgh Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Pittsburgh Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Pittsburgh Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Pittsburgh Yelp 1
Pottstown
PA Pottstown Google 1. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Pottstown Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Pottstown Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Pottstown Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
Reading
Stanley
PA Reading Indeed 1
Indeed.com Planned Parenthood Employee Reviews in Reading, PA
PA Reading Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Reading Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Reading Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Reading Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Reading Yelp 1
Somerset
PA Somerset Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
Upper Darby
PA Upper Darby Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Upper Darby Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Upper Darby Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Upper Darby Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Upper Darby Google 5. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Upper Darby Google 6. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Upper Darby Google 7. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Upper Darby Google 8. Accessed 12.01.22.
Warminster
Clinic Conditions
The facility improperly stored sterile surgical supplies and kept them in an unsanitary manner. There were no temperature, humidity, or ventilation monitors observed in this area where sterile wrapped packages were stored.
The facility failed to store clean scrubs to minimize contamination from surface contact.
Soiled and dirty linens were stored with clean ones.
Soiled linens weren’t washed at a high enough temperature to kill microbes and prevent infections.
There were no policies to conduct routine preventative maintenance on equipment.
The facility failed to monitor temperature and humidity in its operating rooms or the recovery room.
There were no call bells or intercom systems in the operating room or in patient bathrooms, interfering with summoning help in an emergency. A bathroom door also opened inward, possibly preventing access in an emergency.
There were no cubicle curtains for privacy in the recovery room.
The soiled work area and the clean work area weren’t physically separated.
There were no scrub sinks located outside of the operating rooms. The sinks inside the procedure rooms were not hands-free.
The facility failed to ensure all required emergency equipment was available in two of the procedure rooms for resuscitation measures when surgery was performed. Emergency supplies were missing from the crash cart.
Staff
The facility failed to conduct background checks on its employees.
The facility failed to have a Director of Nursing who was responsible and accountable to the person in charge of the facility.
Half of the employees weren’t trained in the operation of the fire warning system, the proper use of firefighting equipment, and the procedure to follow if the electric power was impaired.
Two of the staff did not have hepatitis B vaccines. The facility was required to offer the shot to any worker who had contact with blood or bodily fluids. There was no indication that the shots were offered, but both the staff members had requested them.
Medical Records and Labels
The facility failed to ensure the post-operative surgical reports were written or dictated immediately after the procedure by the operating practitioner for 20 of 20 medical records reviewed.
The facility didn’t have discharge summaries for patients in any of the medical records examined by inspectors.
Incidents
Staff at the facility perforated a woman’s uterus and failed to report the injury to the Board of Health. They also failed to notify the woman of the complication in writing. The inspection report defined the perforated uterus as a “serious event,” meaning “an event, occurrence or situation involving the clinical care of a client [that] … compromises client safety and results in an unanticipated injury requiring the delivery of additional health services to the client.” The patient suffered “minimal pelvic hemorrhage” and needed further medical care.
Treatment of Patients
The facility had untrained, unlicensed staff monitoring women in the recovery room after their surgery. They were monitoring patients’ blood pressure but weren’t qualified or trained to do so.
In all cases, the staff failed to inform women that they might need to visit a hospital in the event of an emergency.
The only guidance on dosages of drugs to give in an emergency was for adult patients. This meant that a minor having a medical emergency might not receive the right dose of emergency medications.
The facility failed to do a proper physical evaluation on any of its patients before doing surgery and/or administering anesthesia on them.
The facility was using expired medications and had no policy to dispose of them.
The facility failed to ensure the maximum recommended dose of Lidocaine (an anesthetic) was not exceeded when administered as a paracervical block in 8 out of 10 cases. The facility always gave the same dose of lidocaine, despite the patient’s weight and/or medical condition.
Other
The clinic’s policy concerning minors “did not meet the criteria of the Child Protective Services Law.”
The facility had no policies in place for the evacuation of patients or patient records in case of a fire or other emergency.
PA Warminster Google 1. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Warminster Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Warminster Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Warminster Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Warminster Yelp 1
PA Warminster Yelp 2
PA Warminster Yelp 3
PA Warminster Yelp 4
PA Warminster Yelp 5
West Chester
Health Violation Documents:
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
A foul odor was noted and was present throughout the facility.
The suction machines used in surgery didn’t have a preventive maintenance label to indicate the inspection date. There was no indication they’d been inspected.
Medical supplies were expired, including a box of masks that had been expired for five years and two packages of gowns that had been expired for four.
Human tissue from surgery was stored in a paper bag that was leaking blood in the refrigerator.
The facility failed to ensure that linen was handled in a manner to minimize contamination. Linens weren’t washed long enough, and the clinic staff didn’t monitor the temperature of water to determine if it was hot enough to properly sterilize the linens.
The facility failed to inspect and properly maintain the ventilation system.
The facility failed to monitor the temperature and humidity levels in the operating rooms and post-anesthesia care area.
Automatic fire extinguishing systems and fire alarms weren’t inspected and tested.
Grab bars were missing in the patient bathroom, meaning it was not handicapped accessible.
There were no cubicle curtains for privacy in the recovery room.
The soiled work area and clean work area were located together in the same room, raising the risk of cross-contamination.
The facility didn’t meet structural requirements – the floor didn’t have sealed seams and the operating rooms were too small.
There were no hands-free scrub sinks located outside the operating rooms.
The facility failed to ensure controlled substances were properly secured. For example, 26 containers of Tylenol with Codeine were left in an open cardboard container on the countertop in the recovery room.
According to an inspection report, “the facility failed to adhere to professionally acceptable standards of practice to assure a functional and sanitary environment.”
Staff
One of the doctors who maintained a supply of controlled substances, dispensed, and prescribed controlled substances didn’t have the proper certification from the DEA.
The facility failed to conduct background checks on its employees and didn’t have a policy for doing so.
There was no documentation that a doctor had privileges to administer anesthesia. There was no delineation of privileges regarding doctors administering anesthesia.
Medical Records and Labels
The facility failed to have a written policy regarding the retention of medical records. It also failed to have a policy specifying which employees had access to medical records and under what conditions they could be released.
There was no plan to evacuate medical records in case of an emergency.
Treatment of Patients
The facility had a policy in place to monitor patients’ blood pressure after surgery by taking vital signs every 15 minutes. However, this wasn’t done for 11 out of 25 patients.
The facility failed to provide a written policy for the discharge of an incompetent patient, i.e., a patient who couldn’t consent to medical care because of age or mental condition.
Other
Managers had erroneously instructed employees that they could turn away health inspectors if the inspectors arrived on a day that surgeries were being done.
The facility failed to conduct fire drills.
The facility was not annually inspected by the fire department.
October 21, 2022
Google reviews – Surgical Center / Google reviews – West Chester Center / Yelp reviews
PA West Chester Google 1. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA West Chester Google 2. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA West Chester Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA West Chester Google 4. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA West Chester Yelp 1
PA West Chester Yelp 2
PA West Chester Yelp 3
PA West Chester Yelp 4
Wilkes-Barre
PA Wilkes- Barre Google 1. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Wilkes- Barre Google 2. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA Wilkes- Barre Google 3. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Wilkes- Barre Google 4. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Wilkes- Barre Google 5. Accessed 05.15.21.
PA Wilkes- Barre Google 6. Accessed 05.15.21.
York
Health Violation Documents:
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
The facility had no emergency call system in the bathrooms, operating rooms, and recovery area.
The facility failed to ensure the ventilation system was inspected and maintained. They therefore failed to ensure that air quality was kept at proper filtration, humidity, and temperature requirements in operating rooms and the recovery room.
The facility had no fire extinguishing systems or fire alarms.
Ceilings consisted of textured tiles that were not scrubbable or gasketed.
There were no scrub sinks located outside of the procedure rooms.
Doors in the facility were too narrow to admit a gurney in case a patient needed to be transferred to the hospital in an emergency.
The facility failed to have emergency equipment readily available for resuscitation purposes for procedures using local anesthesia.
The only oxygen tanks in the facility were empty.
Staff
The facility failed to request and consider reports from the National Practitioner Data Bank for both of its doctors. The facility credentialed doctors without examining and taking into account these reports. The National Practitioner Data Bank is a tool that prevents medical professionals from moving from state to state without disclosure or discovery of previous medical malpractice.
The facility failed to ensure that a Registered Nurse was a member of the Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee. There was no RN on the committee, as required.
Staff didn’t have training or education in infection control.
Medical Records and Labels
None of the medical records contained documentation that the patients were assessed for nausea and vomiting before discharge.
No post-operative surgical reports were written for six out of six patients.
Entries in medical records weren’t dated and authenticated by the person making the entries. Paperwork wasn’t signed or dated in 100% of cases.
The facility didn’t have a policy regarding the preservation of medical records.
Incidents
The facility failed to administer a RhoGAM shot to a woman who was Rh-Negative. This could lead to Rh sensitization, which can cause serious complications and infant death or disability in future pregnancies.
A patient suffered medical complication, and the facility failed to notify the patient in writing of the event within seven days because, at the time, they had no patient safety officer.
Treatment of Patients
The facility failed to ensure practitioners documented informed consent.
The facility failed to conduct a physical exam and evaluation before performing surgery or giving anesthesia for six of six patients whose records were examined.
The facility failed to ensure patients were properly identified by the operating surgeon before the start of surgery for six of six medical records reviewed. In every case, the surgeon didn’t identify the patient prior to the start of the procedure.
Other
The facility failed to ensure that a committee was established for the prevention, control, and investigation of infection.
The facility didn’t have written policies and procedures that only authorized persons in the proper attire could be in the surgical area.
The facility failed to establish a workable plan with the nearest fire department.
The facility failed to conduct fire drills.
PA York Google 1. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA York Google 2. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA York Google 3. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA York Google 4. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA York Google 5. Accessed 12.01.22.
PA York Google 6. Accessed 12.01.22.
