Modesto hospital fined $73,000 by state regulators. Here’s what to know

California regulators have penalized Memorial Medical Center in Modesto $73,000 since 2024, citing a serious medication error and lapses in emergency care. The hospital’s owner, Sutter Health, says it is committed to safe patient care and is reviewing its procedures.

Full story by Ken Carlson: Modesto hospital fined for medication error. Emergency department cases scrutinized

Here are the key takeaways:

• The biggest penalty: A $43,000 fine was issued in October after a nurse gave a 75-year-old patient 25 nitroglycerine tablets for chest pain in January 2024. The standard dose is one 0.4 milligram tablet every five minutes, with a maximum of three in 15 minutes.
• Patient outcome: The woman’s blood pressure dropped from 137/76 to 74/39 within 15 minutes. She was treated with IV medication and activated charcoal, which restored her blood pressure to normal.
• Infant case: Parents brought a 3-day-old baby with high bilirubin to the emergency department in September 2024. The family waited seven hours without a follow-up assessment before leaving — putting the patient at risk of health complications, the state found.
• Pregnant patient turned away: In December 2024, a doctor discharged a 37-week pregnant woman in early labor and told her to drive to another hospital. Nurses told investigators the doctor had said patients with certain insurance “do not belong at Memorial.”
• Privacy breach: Memorial was also fined $30,900 after one employee allegedly accessed the confidential medical records of a former partner who also worked at the hospital.