CHI St. Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Hospital Agreed to Pay $133,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Accept an Appropriate Transfer

On April 22, 2025, CHI St. Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Hospital (St. Joseph), Lexington, Kentucky, entered into a $133,420 settlement agreement with OIG. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that St. Joseph violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Based on its investigation, OIG concluded that in February 2023, St. Joseph violated the requirements of EMTALA when it failed to accept an appropriate transfer of a patient from the Emergency Department of another facility. The facility requesting the transfer had diagnosed the patient with bilateral pulmonary embolisms and an intra-abdominal abscess. The facility requesting the transfer did not have the specialized capabilities or facilities to treat the patient when the transfer was requested. St. Joseph was aware of the patient's emergency medical conditions when it refused to accept the transfer.

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