The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) licenses every hospital in the state and fines one when it finds a problem that caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to a patient, or when the hospital doesn't report an adverse event or a patient-privacy breach on time. CDPH's open file lists 2,827 penalties at 312 of California's 415 open general acute care hospitals, 1997 to 2023. Type a hospital's name or city to see its record.
Look up a hospital
Open general acute care hospitals on CDPH's facility list (updated October 16, 2026). A hospital's record covers the license number it holds today; a hospital that changed owners or names may show only part of its history. Not a ranking: a bigger hospital treats more patients.
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Why California hospitals are fined most often
| Reason (CDPH's category) | Penalties, 1997 to 2023 |
|---|---|
| Stage 3 or 4 ulcer acquired after admission | 671 |
| Breach to person/entity outside facility/hc system | 449 |
| Retention of a foreign object in a patient | 374 |
| Adverse event or series of adverse events | 295 |
| Deliberate breach of patient health information by health care worker | 199 |
| Breach by h/c worker within facility/hc system | 178 |
| Medication error | 117 |
| Other Immediate Jeopardy (not an AE) | 107 |
All open general acute care hospitals in California, from CDPH's State Enforcement Actions file.
What the penalty types mean
- Administrative penalty, immediate jeopardy (Health and Safety Code 1280.3): CDPH found a licensing problem that caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to a patient.
- Administrative penalty, non-immediate jeopardy (HSC 1280.3): a licensing problem below that line.
- Failure to report an adverse event (HSC 1280.4): the hospital didn't tell CDPH about a serious event within the required time.
- Failure to report a breach (HSC 1280.15): the hospital didn't report a breach of a patient's medical information to CDPH or to the patient on time.
"Closed" means the action is final or paid; "open" means the hospital may still appeal, and appeals can change the amount (CDPH data dictionary).
The fix: check anything newer, and what to ask
- Newer penalties: CDPH stopped updating this open file in mid-2024. Its State Enforcement Actions dashboard has current ones.
- Inspections and complaints: search the hospital on Cal Health Find.
- Before a planned surgery: ask the hospital operator for Patient Relations (every hospital has a patient advocate), and ask the surgeon's office how instruments and sponges are counted after an operation.
In North County San Diego? Every North County hospital's record on one page, and PJ does the legwork with you: pulls the record and writes down the questions for the surgeon and Patient Relations. Family Assist, $30 an hour; no medical or legal advice. Text PJ.
Sources: CDPH, Health Facilities State Enforcement Actions, 1997-2023 (archived data file, data dictionary and lookup table), joined to CDPH's Licensed and Certified Healthcare Facility Listing by facility ID. Checked October 21, 2026.
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Questions people ask
How do I look up a California hospital's citations or penalties?
CDPH, the California Department of Public Health, publishes them. Its open file lists 2,827 administrative and failure-to-report penalties at 312 of 415 open general acute care hospitals from 1997 to 2023; this page searches it by hospital name or city. Newer penalties are on CDPH's State Enforcement Actions dashboard, and inspections are on Cal Health Find.
Why are California hospitals fined most often?
In CDPH's open file, the most common reason is Stage 3 or 4 ulcer acquired after admission (671 penalties), followed by Breach to person/entity outside facility/hc system (449), Retention of a foreign object in a patient (374).
What is an immediate jeopardy penalty for a California hospital?
An administrative penalty CDPH issues under Health and Safety Code 1280.3 when a hospital's failure to meet a licensing requirement caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to a patient.
Has El Camino Hospital (El Camino Health, Mountain View) been cited or fined by CDPH?
Yes. CDPH's open file lists 13 State penalties for El Camino Health in Mountain View from 1997 to 2023: 3 administrative and 10 failure-to-report, $151,700 final in all, the most recent on Jun 18, 2019. Each one is listed at https://www.sideguysolutions.com/california-hospital-penalties-cdph-lookup.html#el-camino-health; newer ones are on CDPH's State Enforcement Actions dashboard.
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