Tenet’s Palm Beach Gardens is in the spotlight again

In a recent investigative report by City Link, South Florida’s alternative weekly paper, reporter Art Levine revealed the impact of inadequate nurse staffing levels on patient care in South Florida hospitals — and highlights Tenet’s Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center in particular. City Link reported that, due to allegations of poor nursing care, Palm Beach Gardens is now the target of a criminal investigation to determine if its staff engaged in neglect and abuse of the elderly. Click here to read the City Link story.

New report tallies Tenet’s potential legal liability

Lehman Brothers has launched a new monthly update to help investors track Tenet’s legal liabilities. According to the inaugural issue of “Lehman Tenet Healthcare Monthly Investigation Update,” Tenet is facing a potential “maximum payment” of $416 to $509 million as a result of the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice charging Tenet with upcoding violations. The new updates can be obtained for a fee through www.multex.com.

More Tenet top hospital administrators depart

Tenet recently lost several of its top hospital executives. The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., reports that Jack Dusenberry, chief executive officer of East Cooper Regional Medical Center, abruptly resigned along with the hospital’s chief nursing officer two weeks ago. No reasons were given for the departures.

Meanwhile, Don McKenna has resigned as chief executive officer of Seven Rivers Community Hospital in Crystal River, Fla. The hospital’s marketing director Dorothy Pernu told the St. Petersburg Times that McKenna, whose last day will be March 18, is leaving to move closer to his family.

Hazardous waste disposal by two Tenet hospitals in California raises concerns

Riverside County, Calif., health officials are investigating whether two Tenet hospitals in Coachella Valley illegally dumped hazardous medical waste. According to recent news reports, local authorities discovered needles, vials of used and unused drugs, and test tubes containing blood still labeled with patients’ names in the town of Cabazon.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported that county records indicate John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital and Desert Regional Medical Center have repeatedly violated state medical waste laws in recent years.

Tenet spokesman Steven Companini told The Desert Sun that the corporation has no company-wide medical waste disposal protocol. Disposal decisions are instead made at the local level, he explained, claiming that “Tenet is not involved.”

To read previous newsletters from the Tenet Monitor, please see the Monitor Archive.