St. Agnes HealthCare Agreed to Pay $104,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide an Appropriate Medical Screening Examination and Stabilizing Treatment

On February 10, 2023, St. Agnes Healthcare, Inc. (St. Agnes), Baltimore, Maryland, entered into a $104,942 settlement agreement with OIG. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that, based on OIG’s investigation, St. Agnes violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when it failed to provide a medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment for a patient. On February 7, 2019, patient T.L. presented to St. Agnes’s Emergency Department (ED) at approximately 12:50 P.M. via emergency medical services (EMS). T.L.’s symptoms included nausea and vomiting over the previous two days. T.L. was brought to a hallway in the ED where T.L. remained in the custody of EMS until shortly after 1:00 P.M. Between 12:50 and 1:35 P.M., T.L. had at least three seizures with decorticate posturing in the presence of ED staff before T.L. was screened or examined by St. Agnes’ medical personnel. At approximately 1:35 P.M., ED staff moved T.L. to a hospital room and began resuscitation efforts. Prior to these efforts, T.L. was not triaged by ED staff and did not receive a medical screening examination. An hour after the start of resuscitative efforts, T.L. was pronounced deceased. Senior Counsel Candace Ashford represented OIG.

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