(a) (1) In any case in which the department receives a report from a facility pursuant to Section 1279.1, or a written or oral complaint involving a health facility licensed pursuant to subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250, that indicates an ongoing threat of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm, the department shall make an onsite inspection or investigation within 48 hours or two business days, whichever is greater, of the receipt of the report or complaint and shall complete that investigation within 45 days.

(2) Until the department has determined by onsite inspection that the adverse event has been resolved, the department shall, not less than once a year, conduct an unannounced inspection of any health facility that has reported an adverse event pursuant to Section 1279.1.

(b) In any case in which the department is able to determine from the information available to it that there is no threat of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm to that patient or other patients, the department shall complete an investigation of the report within 45 days.

(c) If the department does not meet the timeframes established in subdivision (a), the department shall document the extenuating circumstances explaining why it could not meet the timeframes. The department shall provide written notice to the facility and the complainant, if any, of the basis for the extenuating circumstances and the anticipated completion date.

(d) The department shall notify the complainant and licensee in writing of the department’s determination as a result of an inspection or report.

(e) For purposes of this section, “complaint” means any oral or written notice to the department, other than a report from the health facility, of an alleged violation of applicable requirements of state or federal law or an allegation of facts that might constitute a violation of applicable requirements of state or federal law.

(f) The costs of administering and implementing this section shall be paid from funds derived from existing licensing fees paid by general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and special hospitals.

(g) In enforcing this section and Sections 1279 and 1279.1, the department shall take into account the special circumstances of small and rural hospitals, as defined in Section 124840, in order to protect the quality of patient care in those hospitals.

(h) In preparing the staffing and systems analysis required pursuant to Section 1266, the department shall also report regarding the number and timeliness of investigations of adverse events initiated in response to reports of adverse events.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 18, Sec. 6. (SB 75) Effective June 24, 2015.)