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Who runs College Medical Center and which deadline applies
College Medical Center is a private hospital (licensed to a limited liability company). For a malpractice claim against it, the deadline is generally one year from when you discovered the injury or three years from the injury, whichever comes first (Code of Civil Procedure 340.5), and the hospital must get at least 90 days’ written notice before a lawsuit is filed (Code of Civil Procedure 364). See which deadline applies to you.
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 174 complaints and facility-reported incidents for College Medical Center from 2023 through 2026 in its Cal Health Find ↗ database: 128 complaints from the public and 46 incidents the hospital reported itself. CDPH marked 29 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 | 46 |
| 2024 | 67 |
| 2025 | 52 |
| 2026 | 9 |
| Category | All | Substantiated with deficiencies |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of Care/Treatment | 56 | 10 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Abuse | 41 | 11 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Rights | 21 | 6 |
| Admission, Transfer & Discharge Rights | 13 | 2 |
| Physical Environment | 13 | 0 |
| State Monitoring | 9 | 0 |
| Infection Control | 6 | 0 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Neglect | 6 | 0 |
| Administration/Personnel | 3 | 0 |
| Physician Services | 2 | 0 |
State penalties
CDPH lists 1 enforcement action against College Medical Center since 2023. Section 1280.3 of the Health and Safety Code allows an administrative penalty for a deficiency that put a patient in “immediate jeopardy” (HSC 1280.3).
| Issued | Type | Section | Category | Penalty | Appealed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10/2025 | Administrative Penalty | 1280.3(h) T22 DIV5 CH2 ART3-71213(a) T22 DIV5 CH2 ART6-71501(a)(4) T22 DIV5 CH2 ART6-71507(a)(10) W&I 5325(c) 1279.1(b) 1279.1(b)(6)(D) W&I 5325.1(b) | AE27 – Death/injury from a physical assault | $41,250 | Yes |
Inspection findings
These are the most recent CDPH inspections of College Medical Center 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.
- 07/29/2025 (Certification): Data collection & analysis; Nursing care plan; Patient rights: restraint or seclusion
- 06/24/2025 (Certification): Adequate staffing; Care of patients; Governing body; Ic professional adherence to policies; Infection control program; Infection control surveillance, prevention
- 10/29/2024 (Certification): Administration of drugs; Care of patients; Contracted services; Governing body; Nursing care plan; Nursing services
- 11/27/2023 (Certification): Nursing care plan; Nursing services; Supervision of contract staff
Medicare quality data
Medicare publishes quality measures for College Medical Center 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: 3 out of 5.
- Catheter urinary tract infections: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 1.120, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- C. difficile infections: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 0.525, 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): 82% of 71 patients, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025.
- Median time in the emergency department before leaving: 322 minutes.
- 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.
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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 College Medical Center for medical malpractice?
Yes. A patient harmed by negligent care at College Medical Center can bring a malpractice claim. The hospital must get at least 90 days’ written notice before a lawsuit is filed, and the case is proved with the medical records and testimony from medical witnesses about the standard of care.
How long do I have to file a claim against College Medical Center?
For College Medical Center, the deadline is generally one year from discovering the injury and three years at most. 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 College Medical Center’s inspection records?
The California Department of Public Health posts complaints, facility-reported incidents, inspection findings and penalties for College Medical Center on Cal Health Find, and Medicare posts its quality measures on Care Compare. This page links to both and summarizes 2023 through 2026.
Is College Medical Center 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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College Medical Center malpractice lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or a loved one was harmed by medical care in Long Beach, 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: College Medical Center
- Medicare Care Compare: College Medical Center
- Code of Civil Procedure 340.5 (deadline)
- Code of Civil Procedure 364 (90-day notice)
- Mejia v. Community Hospital of San Bernardino (2002) 99 Cal.App.4th 1448
- Elam v. College Park Hospital (1982) 132 Cal.App.3d 332
- Health and Safety Code 1280.3 (administrative penalties)
- 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.