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Who runs St. Francis Medical Center and which deadline applies
St. Francis 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 230 complaints and facility-reported incidents for St. Francis Medical Center from 2023 through 2026 in its Cal Health Find ↗ database: 192 complaints from the public and 38 incidents the hospital reported itself. CDPH marked 16 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 | 70 |
| 2024 | 89 |
| 2025 | 54 |
| 2026 | 17 |
| Category | All | Substantiated with deficiencies |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of Care/Treatment | 111 | 6 |
| State Monitoring | 28 | 3 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Rights | 23 | 1 |
| Admission, Transfer & Discharge Rights | 15 | 1 |
| Physical Environment | 11 | 0 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Abuse | 10 | 1 |
| EMTALA (Patient Dumping) | 8 | 0 |
| Nursing Services | 7 | 3 |
| Resident/Patient/Client Neglect | 4 | 1 |
| Unqualified Personnel | 4 | 0 |
8 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 0 of those substantiated with deficiencies. See emergency room claims.
State penalties
CDPH lists 1 enforcement action against St. Francis Medical Center since 2023. A “failure to report” penalty is for not reporting a listed adverse event to the state on time (HSC 1279.1).
| Issued | Type | Section | Category | Penalty | Appealed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/13/2023 | Failure to Report Penalty | No violations found | AE17 – Stage 3 or 4 ulcer acquired after admission | $1,400 | No |
Inspection findings
These are the most recent CDPH inspections of St. Francis 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.
- 07/21/2026 (Certification): Nursing care plan; Operating room policies; Patient rights: notice of rights; Supervision of contract staff; Surgical services
- 07/22/2024 (Certification): Administration of drugs; Care of patients; Data collection & analysis; Nursing care plan; Nursing services; Patient rights
- 04/16/2024 (Certification): Ic professional adherence to policies; Patient rights: restraint or seclusion
- 02/06/2024 (Certification): Patient rights: notice of rights; Rn supervision of nursing care; Supervision of contract staff
- 07/18/2023 (Certification): Patient rights:participation in care planning
Medicare quality data
Medicare publishes quality measures for St. Francis 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.
- Central line bloodstream infections: Better than the National Benchmark (ratio 0.228, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- Catheter urinary tract infections: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 0.436, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- Surgical site infections, colon surgery: Better than the National Benchmark (ratio 0.000, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- MRSA bloodstream infections: No Different than National Benchmark (ratio 1.183, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025)
- C. difficile infections: Better than the National Benchmark (ratio 0.055, 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)
- Deaths among surgical patients with serious treatable complications (PSI 04): 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): 60% of 108 patients, 10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025.
- Median time in the emergency department before leaving: 238 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 St. Francis Medical Center for medical malpractice?
Yes. A patient harmed by negligent care at St. Francis 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 St. Francis Medical Center?
For St. Francis 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 St. Francis Medical Center’s inspection records?
The California Department of Public Health posts complaints, facility-reported incidents, inspection findings and penalties for St. Francis 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 St. Francis 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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St. Francis Medical Center malpractice lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or a loved one was harmed by medical care in Lynwood, 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: St. Francis Medical Center
- Medicare Care Compare: St. Francis 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
- 42 U.S.C. 1395dd (EMTALA)
- Health and Safety Code 1279.1 (adverse event reporting)
- 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)
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.