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Who runs Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey and which deadline applies
Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey is a Kaiser Foundation hospital. Kaiser members in California generally agree when they enroll that malpractice claims will be decided by binding arbitration instead of a court trial (Health and Safety Code 1363.1), and those arbitrations are run by an independent administrator (OIA). The same malpractice deadlines apply, measured by when the demand for arbitration is served. See how to file a Kaiser arbitration demand and Kaiser misdiagnosis claims.
Many doctors who work in hospitals, including emergency physicians and radiologists, are independent contractors rather than hospital employees. A hospital can still be responsible for their mistakes when the patient looked to the hospital for care and was not told the doctor was not its employee (Mejia v. Community Hospital of San Bernardino), and a hospital has its own duty to use reasonable care in deciding which doctors may practice there (Elam v. College Park Hospital).
State health department records, 2023 to 2026
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) lists 186 complaints and facility-reported incidents for Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey from 2023 through 2026 in its Cal Health Find ↗ database: 122 complaints from the public and 64 incidents the hospital reported itself. CDPH marked 28 of them “substantiated with deficiencies,” meaning the department substantiated the allegation and cited the hospital for not meeting at least one requirement.
| Year | Complaints and incidents |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 43 |
| 2024 | 57 |
| 2025 | 44 |
| 2026 | 42 |
| Category | All | Substantiated with deficiencies |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of Care/Treatment | 65 | 12 |
| State Monitoring | 33 | 5 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Abuse | 16 | 0 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Rights | 15 | 4 |
| Physical Environment | 14 | 2 |
| Infection Control | 8 | 0 |
| Admission, Transfer & Discharge Rights | 8 | 0 |
| EMTALA (Patient Dumping) | 6 | 3 |
| Nursing Services | 5 | 0 |
| Administration/Personnel | 5 | 1 |
6 of the complaints and incidents were filed under the federal emergency care law, EMTALA, which requires an emergency department to screen and stabilize anyone who comes in (42 U.S.C. 1395dd); CDPH marked 3 of those substantiated with deficiencies. See emergency room claims.
Inspection findings
These are the most recent CDPH inspections of Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey that ended with at least one cited deficiency, with the requirement each one cited, as listed in Cal Health Find ↗. A citation means inspectors found the hospital did not meet that requirement on that visit.
- 04/28/2026 (Certification): Administration of drugs; Condition of participation: pharmaceutical se; Data collection & analysis; Delivery of drugs; Nursing services; Patient rights
- 01/20/2026 (Certification): Administration of drugs; Disposal of trash; Form and retention of records; Infection control program; Infection control surveillance, prevention; Infection prevention control abx stewardship
- 05/07/2025 (Certification): Access to locked areas; Condition of participation: pharmaceutical se; Infection control surveillance, prevention; Operating room policies; Patient rights: care in safe setting; Secure storage
- 04/01/2025 (Certification): Compliance with 489.24; Stabilizing treatment
- 04/15/2024 (Certification): Administration of drugs; Content of record: orders,notes,reports; Licensure of nursing staff; Nursing services; Patient rights: notice of rights; Patient rights: restraint or seclusion
Medicare quality data
Medicare publishes quality measures for Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey on Care Compare ↗. Infection results are standardized infection ratios compared with a national benchmark (Medicare infection data), and the sepsis figure is the SEP-1 measure (Medicare timely and effective care data).
- Overall Medicare star rating: 4 out of 5.
- Central line bloodstream infections: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 0.914, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- Catheter urinary tract infections: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 0.635, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- Surgical site infections, colon surgery: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 0.601, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- Surgical site infections, abdominal hysterectomy: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 0.000, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- MRSA bloodstream infections: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 0.551, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- C. difficile infections: Better than the National Benchmark (ratio 0.205, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- Patient safety and adverse events composite (PSI 90): No Different Than the National Value (07/01/2022 to 06/30/2024)
- Pressure ulcer rate (PSI 03): No Different Than the National Rate (07/01/2022 to 06/30/2024)
- Severe sepsis and septic shock patients who received appropriate care (SEP-1): 72% of 214 patients, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025.
- Medicare Hospital-Acquired Condition payment reduction (fiscal year 2026): No.
Records like these show what regulators found. They do not decide whether a particular patient’s care was negligent; that depends on the patient’s own records and on testimony from medical witnesses about the standard of care.
Free medical malpractice case review
We listen to what happened, review the records with you and tell you plainly whether there is a case. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
What to do if you were hurt at this hospital
Ask for your complete records in writing. California patients and their representatives can inspect records within 5 working days of a written request and get copies within 15 days (Health and Safety Code 123110). Write down dates, names and what you were told while you still remember. Do not sign anything from the hospital’s insurer before talking to a lawyer.
Common hospital claims include missed sepsis, a stroke missed in the emergency room, medication errors, objects left after surgery, bed sores and deaths. Hospitals must report some serious events to the state, such as surgery on the wrong body part, a foreign object left after surgery and a stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcer acquired after admission (Health and Safety Code 1279.1).
Michael Shemtoub founded Beverly Law in 2008 and has been licensed to practice law in California since 2007. He earned his law degree at UC Hastings, is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California, and has tried cases to verdict. As the firm’s managing attorney, he oversees its cases.
Common questions
Can I sue Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey for medical malpractice?
If you are a Kaiser member, a malpractice claim over care at Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey generally goes to binding arbitration instead of court, because members agree to arbitration when they enroll. The claim is started by serving a written demand for arbitration.
How long do I have to file a claim against Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey?
For Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey, claims by Kaiser members generally go to binding arbitration under the same malpractice deadlines. Deadlines can be shorter or longer depending on when you discovered the injury, whether the patient is a child, and whether the patient died, so it is worth asking a lawyer early.
Where can I see Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey’s inspection records?
The California Department of Public Health posts complaints, facility-reported incidents, inspection findings and penalties for Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey on Cal Health Find, and Medicare posts its quality measures on Care Compare. This page links to both and summarizes 2023 through 2026.
Is Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey responsible for mistakes by its emergency room doctors?
It can be. Many hospital doctors are independent contractors, but California courts hold a hospital responsible for a contractor doctor’s negligence when the patient looked to the hospital for care and was not told the doctor was not a hospital employee.
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Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey malpractice lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or a loved one was harmed by medical care in Downey, talk to a California medical malpractice attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Los Angeles County hospital records · California Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations · Sent Home From the ER and Got Worse · Hospital Missed Sepsis in California
Sources
- California Department of Public Health, Cal Health Find: Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey
- Medicare Care Compare: Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey
- Health and Safety Code 1363.1 (arbitration disclosure)
- Office of the Independent Administrator, Kaiser Permanente member arbitration
- Mejia v. Community Hospital of San Bernardino (2002) 99 Cal.App.4th 1448
- Elam v. College Park Hospital (1982) 132 Cal.App.3d 332
- 42 U.S.C. 1395dd (EMTALA)
- Medicare Care Compare data: Healthcare Associated Infections – Hospital
- Medicare Care Compare data: Timely and Effective Care – Hospital
- Health and Safety Code 123110 (patient access to records)
- Health and Safety Code 1279.1 (adverse event reporting)
Important: This page is general information about California law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines and damage limits depend on the facts of each case; talk to a lawyer about yours. MICRA amounts are for judgments, awards and settlements in 2026. Last reviewed: November 5, 2026.