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Experts propose solutions for Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, December 30, 2004

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The Los Angeles Times asked two dozen healthcare experts from around the country for solutions to long-standing problems at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center after a team of reporters from the Times investigated the hospital's problems. Their investigation determined that errors and neglect at the county-run hospital repeatedly harmed or killed patients and uncovered incompetence, infighting, and criminality within hospital departments.

Some experts suggested issuing a report card to hold the hospital's physicians and employees accountable. King/Drew historically has not done enough to review mistakes that harmed or killed patients, said David Thornton, executive director of the Medical Board of California. The hospital has referred within the past five years only one physician to the state for possible discipline, far fewer than other hospitals, Thornton said. King/Drew's peer review system, in which doctors examine each other's mistakes, needs to be revamped, he said. Some experts suggested that outside reviewers could assess King/Drew's quality of care until doctors there prove they are up to the task.

Experts also recommended that the hospital redefine its mission statement. "I think the purpose should be, or could be, to improve patient care for the community," said Dr. David Leach, executive director of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. "It's not clear that is the purpose. The purpose may be to provide jobs." Some suggested that the hospital is falling short on services its patients really need and staff are qualified to perform because it also offers specialty care and physician-training programs.

Other suggestions include:

• Get the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to cede control of the hospital to an independent board or healthcare professional
• Find a new training partner for residents
• Close temporarily until the hospital makes serious reforms or temporarily cut back on services to provide only the most essential ones until reforms take hold

To read the LA Times article, click here.

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