American Women’s Health Center – Des Plaines

Health Violations

• Failure to ensure the presence of a circulating RN during an invasive and operative procedure;
• Failure to document the name of person accompanying patient from the facility after the procedure;
• Failure to ensure all patients received pre-operative and post-operative counseling;
• Failure to report statistical data. The clinic had reported 0 patient transfers to the hospital. However, patient records showed that from 01/2014-09/30/2014, 7 patients had been transferred.
• Failed to store oxygen tanks properly
• Failed to conduct fire drills
• Failed to document the testing of emergency lighting as required
• The facility failed to maintain records in a secure manner. This could potentially violate the privacy of over 140 patients undergoing procedures in the facility every month. The records were in a box on the table in the breakroom with the door wide open.
• Procedure table had ripped cushion in three places and was held together by tape.
• This facility failed to ensure that instruments being used from woman to woman were sterilized properly. The staff was not using biological indicators in the packages for sterilization and they were not cleaning the sterilizer at least weekly as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Anesthesia carts were not secured. The cart was left unsupervised and unlocked in the procedure room.
• A multi-dose vial of Flumazenil was in use past the opened expiration date. The RN said she “didn’t understand what the anesthesiologist meant when he wrote the date on the vial”.