Patient Dumping

Jump to: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008

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.

2013

01-28-2013: Holmes Regional Medical Center (HRMC), FL, agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that HRMC failed to provide a medical screening examination and to adequately stabilize a 30-year old pregnant woman who presented to their emergency department experiencing chest pains, in potential cardiac arrest, and became unresponsive. Both the patient and her baby died.

2012

11-13-2012: University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC), IL, agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that UCMC failed to provide appropriate medical screening and stabilizing treatment within its capabilities to a male patient who presented to their emergency department complaining of severe jaw pain as a result of a physical assault. The results of a CT scan taken by UCMC revealed injuries that needed corrective surgery. UCMC did not provide further treatment and discharged the patient with instructions to go to another hospital for further care.
10-19-2012: Hackley Hospital (Hackley), Michigan, agreed to pay $90,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Hackley failed to provide stabilizing treatment within its capabilities to a woman in labor and her unborn child prior to transferring her to another hospital for treatment.
10-09-2012: Southcoast Hospital Group (Southcoast), Massachusetts, agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Southcoast failed to provide stabilizing treatment prior to transferring a patient that presented to its emergency department experiencing labored breathing.
09-05-2012: Duke University Health System d/b/a Duke University Hospital (Duke), North Carolina, agreed to pay $180,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Duke failed to accept five appropriate transfers of individuals with unstable psychiatric emergency medical conditions.
06-15-2012: Hendricks Community Hospital (Hendricks), Minnesota, agreed to pay $20,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Hendricks failed to provide a medical screening examination and stabilization treatment to a patient that presented to its emergency department. The patient previously had surgery at another hospital and was in serious pain, could not urinate, and needed a catheter placement. An emergency department physician instructed hospital staff to tell the patient he would need to seek treatment at the hospital where his surgery was performed. Hendricks provided no screening or treatment for the patient, even though the patient's pain level was such that it was difficult for him to ambulate.
05-31-2012: Texas County Memorial Hospital (TCMH), Texas, agreed to pay $20,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that TCMH failed to provide an adequate medical screening examination for a minor. Specifically, the minor presented to TCMH's emergency department (ED) and was accompanied by a family member. TCMH's registration clerk informed the family member that the minor should be treated by her family physician rather than be admitted to TCMH's ED. The minor left TCMH without receiving a medical screen.
03-07-2012: Northside Hospital (Northside), Florida, agreed to pay $38,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Northside failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to a patient with a history of mitral valve replacement. Specifically, the patient presented to Northside's emergency department (ED) by ambulance with flu symptoms and a high fever. A triage nurse instructed the patient to go home and to follow his primary care physician's orders. Two days later the patient presented again to Northside's ED and was admitted to their intensive care unit. On August 8, 2009, the patient died due to influenza A (H1N1).
02-10-2012: Fort Lauderdale Hospital, Inc. (FLH), Florida, agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that FLH failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to an autistic patient that presented to FLH's emergency department after physically attacking his mother. A clinical psychologist asked for the patient's insurance information. FLH did not accept the patient's insurance and the patient's mother was instructed to take the patient to another facility. The patient was seen at another facility and admitted for six days due to a diagnosis of depression.

2011

12-22-2011: Princeton Baptist Medical Center (PBMC), Alabama, agreed to pay $170,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that PBMC failed to provide care, within its capabilities, to four individuals who were suffering from emergency medical conditions. Three of the individuals presented to PBMC's emergency department with intracranial hemorrhages and one of the individuals presented with multiple fractures of the spinal column.
12-20-2011: Matthew Pearson, M.D., Tennessee, agreed to pay $35,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Dr. Pearson, while on call at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Vanderbilt), refused to accept an appropriate transfer of an individual with an unstable emergency medical condition who required the specialized capabilities that were available at Vanderbilt. The patient was transferred to another facility and died shortly thereafter.
12-20-2011: Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Vanderbilt), Tennessee, agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Vanderbilt refused to accept an appropriate transfer of an individual with an unstable emergency medical condition who required the specialized capabilities that were available at Vanderbilt. The patient was transferred to another facility and died shortly thereafter.
11-15-2011: Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital (SMH), Michigan, agreed to pay $20,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that SMH failed to provide stabilizing treatment to a 15-year-old male who came to SMH's emergency department (ED) for examination and treatment of psychiatric and medical emergencies. The patient presented to SMH's ED after a suicide attempt. The medical screening examination revealed that the patient was suffering from hypotension and abnormal heart rhythm. SMH provided the patient with a psychological assessment and intravenous fluids but did not provide further medical treatment needed to stabilize the patient's medical condition. SMH transferred the patient to a psychiatric facility 169 miles away without stabilizing the patient's vital signs. Forty minutes into the transfer, the patient began experiencing hypotensive episodes.
10-04-2011: Piedmont Hospital (Piedmont), Georgia, agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Piedmont failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to a patient that presented with an emergency medical condition. Specifically, the patient presented to Piedmont after being diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by her private physician. The patient made repeated requests for treatment for eight hours without success. The patient left Piedmont and presented to another hospital where she was diagnosed and treated for a pulmonary embolus in addition to the DVT.
10-03-2011: Springhill Medical Center (SMC), Alabama, agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that SMC failed to accept an appropriate transfer of a patient with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient was accepted by another hospital approximately 100 miles away and expired the next day.
08-31-2011: Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center (Beatrice), Nebraska, agreed to pay $30,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Beatrice failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to two patients that presented with emergency medical conditions. Specifically, a patient presented to Beatrice complaining of discomfort after removing a feeding tube. The patient was not appropriately screened or stabilized before discharge. Another patient presented complaining of a loss of consciousness and difficulty moving his extremities after falling and hitting his head. The patient was not appropriately screened or stabilized before discharge. The patient later received treatment at another hospital but died as a result of his injury.
08-29-2011: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare (Jewish Hospital), Kentucky, agreed to pay $42,500 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Jewish Hospital failed to provide a medical screening examination or stabilizing treatment to a patient that presented to two of its emergency departments (ED). The patient was suffering from a wrist laceration with arterial bleeding. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transported the patient to two of Jewish Hospital's ED's that are located on the same property. Both ED's instructed the EMS to transport the patient to another hospital.
08-17-2011: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (Santa Clara), California, agreed to pay $48,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Santa Clara failed to provide a medical screening examination or stabilizing treatment to a patient that presented to its emergency department (ED) after receiving a referral from a nearby urgent care facility which diagnosed him with severe abnormal hemoglobin results. It was suspected that the patient had some sort of internal bleeding. Upon arrival to Santa Clara's ED, the patient showed a nurse the referral papers and complained of dizziness, blurred vision, and fatigue. The patient was categorized as non-emergent and waited in the waiting room for seven hours. The patient expired in the ED.
07-08-2011: Dallas County Hospital District d/b/a Parkland Health and Hospital System (Parkland), California, agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Parkland failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination to a patient that presented with an emergency medical condition. Specifically, Parkland failed to provide a physician ordered EKG or intravenous monitoring to a 58-year old cardiac diabetic patient. The patient expired of a heart attack.

2010

12-23-2010: North Fulton Hospital (North Fulton), Georgia, agreed to pay $40,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that North Fulton failed to provide a medical screening examination or stabilizing treatment to a patient that presented to its emergency department (ED). The patient was 30 weeks pregnant and reported with complaints of labor pain to North Fulton's ED upon the advice of her physician.
11-22-2010: Mobile Infirmary (MI), Alabama, agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve its liability for civil monetary penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that MI refused to accept an appropriate transfer to its hospital of a patient in need of specialized capabilities available at MI. The refusal of the transfer request delayed care and treatment for a patient's gastrointestinal bleed. Two hours after the request to MI, the patient was finally transferred to another hospital approximately 60 miles away. En route, the patient's condition deteriorated and the patient had to be transported by helicopter to the receiving hospital. The patient subsequently died that day.; 11-16-2010; Houston Northwest Medical Center (HNMC), Texas, agreed to pay $40,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that HNMC failed to provide appropriate medical screening or stabilizing treatment for a pregnant female who came to HNMC's emergency department while having labor contractions.
11-04-2010: November 4, 2010 - Port St. Lucie Hospital (PSLH), Florida, agreed to pay $19,000 to resolve its liability for civil monetary penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that PSLH refused to accept an appropriate transfer to its hospital of a patient in need of specialized capabilities available at PSLH. Specifically, the OIG alleged that PSLH refused to accept the patient based on an erroneous belief that the patient was uninsured. A second transfer request transfer was made the next day and the same nurse at PSLH again denied transfer.
09-07-2010: Providence Hospital, Alabama, agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve its liability for CMPs under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Providence refused to accept an appropriate transfer to its hospital of a patient in need of specialized capabilities available at Providence. The patient's condition deteriorated and, as a result, the patient was transported by helicopter to another hospital and died that day.
06-14-2010: University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC), Illinois, agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that UCMC failed to provide a medical screening examination or stabilizing treatment to a patient that presented to its emergency department (ED). The liability stems from UCMC failing to log the patient into their system after he presented via ambulance. The patient was left in the waiting area. Approximately three hours later, the patient's daughter approached the triage desk and informed the ED staff that her father still had not been seen. The triage nurse approached the patient and saw that he was non-responsive and had rigor mortis. The ED physician, upon examining the patient, pronounced him dead.
04-27-2010: Olive View UCLA Medical Center (Olive View), California, agreed to pay $25,000 to resolve its liability for Civil Monetary Penalties under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that Olive View's emergency department (ED) did not provide an appropriate medical screening examination (MSE) or stabilizing treatment to a patient that presented to its ED. The liability stems from a 33-year-old patient who presented to Olive View's ED complaining of chest pains. After waiting for over three hours without receiving a MSE, the patient exited the ED, collapsed outside of the building, and despite attempts to resuscitate him, was pronounced dead within minutes.

2009

09-29-2009: Kaiser Foundation Hospitals - Santa Clara (Kaiser), California, agreed to pay $100,000 for allegedly violating the Patient Anti-Dumping Statute on two separate occasions. On both occasions, Kaiser failed to provide appropriate medical screening examinations and stabilizing treatment. On the first occasion, a 15-year old presented to Kaiser's emergency department (ED) doubled over, crying and complaining of severe abdominal pain. Kaiser discharged the patient and sent her to a pediatric physician group on the hospital's campus. On the second occasion, a 12-year old boy returned to Kaiser's ED after being sent home the night before. He presented with a high fever, continued pain and was lethargic with swollen eyes and face. He was also discharged to the pediatric physician group on the hospital's campus. Over six hours after he presented to the ED, he was admitted to Kaiser's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where he died the next morning from staphylococcal sepsis.
09-10-2009: Robert Wood John University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton), New Jersey, agreed to pay $65,000 to resolve its liability for CMPs under the patient dumping statute. The OIG alleged that RWJ Hamilton failed to provide a medical screening examination, stabilizing treatment or an appropriate transfer for a mother and her newborn child who came to RWJ Hamilton's emergency department for examination and treatment for a medical condition.
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.