On Nov. 27, one patient had a wound infection in her groin after an operation. Another patient, who was in the hospital because of a blocked bowel, had a drug-resistant form of staphylococcus bacteria detected in his urine.

Yet the hospital employee assigned to track and prevent the spread of infections and communicable diseases was unaware that the two patients were in the hospital, according to state inspectors working on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

An inspection the next day revealed other problems. An anesthesiologist who should have been wearing sanitized scrubs was found wearing, in the operating room, a black fleece jacket that had visible stains (more...)