Holmes Regional Medical Center Agreed to Pay $113,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide an Appropriate Medical Screening Examination

On January 28, 2026, Holmes Regional Medical Center (HRMC), Melbourne, Florida, entered into a $113,407 settlement agreement with OIG. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that HRMC violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Based on its investigation, OIG concluded that in August 2022, HRMC failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination to a patient who presented to HRMC's Emergency Department ED 30 weeks pregnant seeking an examination or treatment for high blood pressure. The patient presented to the ED with a minor child approximately 4 to 6 years of age. As the patient began completing an intake form, a security guard told the patient that the minor child was not permitted in the triage area causing the patient to leave the ED without an appropriate medical screening examination.