Under a new system of penalties for hospitals, California public health have imposed the first $100,000 fine on Southwest Health care System in Murrieta. Investigators found that doctors at Springs Medical Center performed cesarean sections on three women in October using electrical cauterizing instruments in a delivery room with low humidity. Conditions that could spark a fire. Southwest Health care was among seven hospitals fined in the most recent round announced by the California Department of Public Health.

Others hospitals fined were:

• California Pacific Medical Center-Pacific Campus Hospital in San Francisco
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Fontana
• Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego
• St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino
• St. Joseph Hospital Hospital in Orange County
• Sutter Davis Hospital in the Sacramento Sierra Region

Under state law starting Jan 1 2009, hospital penalties were increased from $25,000 per incident. After that date, a hospital's first immediate jeopardy was doubled to a $50,000 fine, the second carries a $75,000 penalty, and the third and subsequent incidents will cost $100,000 each until the hospital goes three years with no immediate jeopardy findings.

"In administering these administrative penalties, our goal is to improve the quality of health care in all California hospitals," said Kathleen Billingsley, deputy director for public health. She said money from the fines will be used to gather information "to determine how these violations and deficiencies can be decreased and eliminated over time."