Rinaldi Convalescent Hospital: Feeding Tube Error - CA
That is what a federal inspector found at Rinaldi Convalescent Hospital on the morning of March 28, 2026.
The resident, identified in inspection records as Resident 43, was admitted to the facility on September 29, 2025, with muscle weakness and a gastrostomy tube already in place. A G-tube bypasses the mouth entirely, delivering liquid nutrition directly into the stomach through an opening in the abdomen. For Resident 43, it was her primary means of getting calories.
Her physician had written an order three days before the inspection: Isosource 1.5 formula, delivered through the G-tube at 50 milliliters per hour, running for 20 hours a day, off at 8 a.m. and back on at noon, until she received 1,000 milliliters providing 1,500 kilocalories. The order was specific. The label on the bottle was not.
When the inspector checked the room at 9:05 a.m., Resident 43 was sleeping. The pump was off. The bottle of Isosource 1.5 hanging on the pole had no feeding rate written anywhere on it.
Twenty-seven minutes later, a licensed vocational nurse identified as LVN 7 was in the room with the inspector. The pump was still off. The bottle still had no rate on the label. LVN 7 said the nurse who hung the formula should have written the rate of infusion on the label to make sure the physician's ordered rate was accurately reflected. Without it, she said, the wrong amount of formula could be delivered. That could result in unintended weight loss.
The facility's own written procedure, last reviewed on January 29, 2026, listed exactly what must be checked against the physician's order before a tube feeding begins: resident name and ID, formula type, date and time the formula was prepared, the route of delivery, the access site, the method of administration, and the rate in milliliters per hour. Rate of administration was item G on the checklist. It was missing from the label.
Resident 43 required substantial or maximal assistance from staff for nearly every personal care task, including oral hygiene, dressing her upper and lower body, toileting, and personal hygiene. She could make herself understood and could understand others. She was dependent on staff to manage her nutrition correctly.
Inspectors classified the violation as having minimal harm but the potential for actual harm. The concern was straightforward: without the rate written on the label, any nurse coming to restart the pump would have no visual confirmation of what the physician ordered. A rate set too low means too few calories. Over time, that means weight loss in a resident who has no other way to eat.
The deficiency was cited under the federal standard requiring facilities to ensure residents receive the nutrition their condition requires.
Rinaldi Convalescent Hospital operates at 16553 Rinaldi Street in Granada Hills. The inspection was completed March 29, 2026.
For Resident 43, the question left open by the inspection record is a simple one: between the time that bottle was hung and the time the inspector walked in, how many shifts had passed, and how many nurses had restarted that pump without knowing the rate they were supposed to be running.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Rinaldi Convalescent Hospital from 2026-03-29 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 17, 2026 · Our methodology
RINALDI CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL in GRANADA HILLS, CA was cited for violations during a health inspection on March 29, 2026.
That is what a federal inspector found at Rinaldi Convalescent Hospital on the morning of March 28, 2026.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.