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.