Health & Safety Code §1279.1

Reporting by health facilities of adverse events

A health facility (defined as a hospital, community health center or nursing facility) must report an adverse event to the State Department of Health within five days or if the adverse event is an ongoing or imminent threat, within 24 hours.  The law defines an adverse event as including the following:

• Surgical events where surgery was performed on the wrong body part, wrong patient, the wrong surgery performed, a foreign object was retained in the body, or the occurrence of death.
• Product or device events, such death due to a contaminated drug or device malfunction.
• Patient protection events, such as a baby discharged to the wrong parents, death or serious injury due to patient disappearance, or patient suicide or attempted suicide.
• Care management events, such as medication error or  reaction to incompatible blood product.
• Environmental events, such as death or injury due to electrical shocks, incorrect gas lines, or falls.
• Criminal events

Related Laws:  Health & Safety Code §1279.6