Patient Dumping
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act
Records of Penalties |
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In each CMP case resolved through a settlement agreement, the settling party has contested the OIG's allegations and denied any liability. No CMP judgment or finding of liability has been made against the settling party.
2009
- 06-04-2009
- Palms West Hospital (PWH), Florida, agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve its liability for CMPs under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that on two separate occasions, PWH refused to accept an appropriate transfer to its hospital of a patient in need of specialized capabilities available at Palms.
- 06-02-2009
- Plantation General Hospital (PGH), Florida, agreed to pay $40,000 to resolve its liability for CMPs under the patient dumping statute. The settlement resolved allegations that PGH failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination, stabilizing treatment, and/or an appropriate transfer for a pregnant patient that presented to its emergency department in active labor. A friend drove the patient at very high speeds to another hospital where she delivered her baby minutes after arrival.
- 03-06-2009
- Research Medical Center (RMC), Missouri, agreed to pay $40,000 to resolve its liability for CMPs under the patient dumping statute. The settlement resolved allegations that RMC failed to appropriately screen and stabilize a patient who presented with severe abdominal pain resulting from an ectopic pregnancy.
- 02-25-2009
- An Illinois physician agreed to pay $35,000 to resolve his liability for CMPs under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that the on-call physician failed to respond to a request to come to the emergency department to treat a patient that presented with an open leg fracture. The patient was transferred to another facility and underwent emergency surgery.
- 02-17-2009
- Stanly Memorial Hospital n/k/a Stanly Regional Medical Center (Stanly), North Carolina, agreed to pay $20,000 for allegedly violating the Patient Anti-Dumping Statute on two separate occasions: (1) Stanly failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination or stabilizing treatment prior to transferring a patient that presented with symptoms of alcohol and polysubstance abuse and depression; and (2) Stanly failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination or stabilizing treatment prior to discharging a patient that presented with symptoms of drug abuse.
2008
- 09-02-2008
- St. Francis Medical Center (St. Francis), Missouri, agreed to pay $20,000 to resolve its liability under section 1867 of the Social Security Act (Act), 42 U.S.C. section 1395dd, the Patient Anti-Dumping Statute. The settlement resolved allegations that St. Francis failed to provide stabilizing treatment to a patient, prior to discharging her, that presented to its emergency department requesting dialysis and complaining of diarrhea and nausea and vomiting for four days, shortness of breath, and chest pains.
- 08-04-2008
- Baptist Hospital, Inc. (Baptist), Florida, agreed to pay $22,500 to resolve allegations that it failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to a man that presented to Baptist's emergency department (ED) via ambulance. The OIG alleged that an EMT informed Baptist that the man had not taken his psychiatric medication, was suicidal, and claimed to hear voices. Baptist failed to perform a medical screening examination of the patient and he was left unsupervised in the triage area. The patient complained to the registrar that his suicidal thoughts were growing stronger, but the registrar told him that he would have to continue to wait. After waiting for approximately 45 minutes, the patient left the hospital and walked to an adjacent parking lot and lacerated his right arm. The patient was taken by ambulance back to Baptist and admitted for 16 days of psychiatric treatment.
- 06-30-2008
- Cumberland County Hospital System, Inc. d/b/a Cape Fear Valley Medical Center (Cape Fear), North Carolina, agreed to pay $42,500 to resolve allegations that it failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to a 13 year-old mentally ill girl who threatened to kill herself. The patient was allegedly seen by a physician for approximately 5 minutes before she was released. Less than 50 minutes after the physician saw the patient, the patient jumped out of a car traveling approximately 40 miles per hour and fractured her skull.
- 06-25-2008
- Rogers Memorial Hospital, Wisconsin, agreed to pay $30,000 to resolve allegations that it failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to a 57 year-old woman that presented to the hospital's emergency department with her family. The woman had a history of depression. The OIG alleged that the hospital informed the patient and her family that they did not accept Medicaid patients in her age group. The patient was transported by her family to another hospital where she was admitted for depression and suicidal ideations.
- 05-07-2008
- Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center (EMRMC), Kentucky, agreed to pay $25,000 to resolve allegations that its emergency department physician redirected an ambulance arriving on hospital property with a woman with elevated blood sugar and a decreased level of consciousness without first providing an adequate medical screening examination to the woman.
- 03-14-2008
- Denver Health Medical Center (Denver Health), Colorado, agreed to pay $20,000 to resolve allegations that it refused to accept an appropriate transfer of an individual who required Denver Health's specialized Level I trauma capabilities after an automobile accident.
- 03-06-2008
- Tomball Regional Hospital (TRH), Texas, agreed to pay $32,500 to resolve allegations that it violated the screening and stabilization provisions of the Patient Anti-Dumping Statute. The OIG alleged that TRH failed to provide proper screening and stabilization to a patient who presented to its emergency department in a combative state and on narcotics. The patient had a psychiatric history of attention deficit disorder. The ED physician did not request a psychiatric consultation with the on-call psychiatrist. Instead, the patient was discharged with a final diagnosis of drug intake. Approximately an hour later, the patient arrived at another hospital accompanied by the police. The patient was admitted and diagnosed with having a bipolar disorder.
- 03-03-2008
- Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, Inc. (ORHS), Florida, agreed to pay $85,000 for allegedly violating the Patient Anti-Dumping Statute on three separate occasions: (1) ORHS inappropriately transferred a 27-year old female in active labor; (2) ORHS did not accept a patient referred to one of its facilities under the Baker Act; and (3) ORHS failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination for a patient who arrived at its emergency department.