Physicians at HCA Florida Bayonet Point in Hudson have claimed that unsanitary surgical instruments and other issues threaten patient safety following cost-cutting measures.
Four things to know:
1. Physicians claim the unsafe standards stem from cost-cutting measures the 290-bed facility took in 2021, according to a Feb. 15 NBC News report.
2. According to photographs physicians said they provided to NBC News, the facility is experiencing ceiling leaks, bloody and clogged sinks, cockroaches in an operating room and wires dangling from holes in the facility's walls, among other safety hazards.
3. "Four doctors said the quality of care at the facility has declined significantly since 2021, when HCA cut staff and began hiring contract workers," NBC News reported. "They said that the number of so-called sentinel events — patient safety incidents that result in death, permanent or severe temporary harm — have risen."
4. HCA's communications and community engagement director shared a statement from the hospital with Becker's:
"We value the input and leadership of our medical staff members at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital. In addition to seeking input from physicians through informal relationships, we have medical staff department meetings, medical executive committees, physician relations teams assigned to get feedback from individual physicians and annual physician voice surveys. We take quality issues very seriously, no matter who raises them. We rely on feedback from our physicians, and when issues are validated, we take necessary action. Our commitment to safety is reflected in the recognition we have received from third party organizations, including a Leapfrog A Safety Grade in the most recent release and being a Healthgrades Patient Safety Award winner in 2022. In the Spring 2022 Physician Engagement Survey at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital, nearly 80 percent of physicians rated the hospital an excellent or very good place to practice."