A Minnesota hospital has been accused of patient dumping, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press. According to the state's Health Department, Unity Hospital could have broken a federal law when it denied a patient a screening examination at its emergency room.
Although Unity has a policy related to EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, Unity turned the patient away without providing the requested medical care.
"The triage nurse indicated to the police officer that the patient was passing out in the waiting room, that they could not have that and that the (emergency room) was too full and they could not take him," according to a paraphrased police officer in the Health Department's report released Tuesday.
Ultimately, another hospital ended up providing the screening examination and diagnostic tests for the patient.
Tuesday's complaint marked the third against Unity since May 2010, all involving patient dumping or EMTALA violations, notes the FridleyPatch.
But Unity isn't taking this complaint lightly, giving its ER staff "additional mandatory education on EMTALA policies and procedures," hospital spokesman David Kanihan told the Pioneer Press.
Meanwhile, in another reported case of patient dumping, homeless patients in California still feel like victims, as hospitals release them to financially struggling shelters--or the streets--after delivering care, reports The Desert Sun.
Yet, hospital officials insist they follow regulatory discharge guidelines and do not release patients if they are still in need of treatment.
For more information:
- read the Pioneer Press article
- read the FridleyPatch article
- here's The Desert Sun article
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