St. Francis Hospital - Downtown in South Carolina Settles Case Involving Patient Dumping Allegations

On December 11, 2015, St. Francis Hospital - Downtown (St. Francis), in Greenville, South Carolina, entered into a $100,000 settlement agreement with OIG. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that St. Francis violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when it failed to fully evaluate and treat two gunshot victims. OIG's investigation revealed that the first patient presented to St. Francis after being robbed and shot in the left leg within close range and the second patient after being shot in the abdomen at a club. OIG contends that although St. Francis had the capacity and capability to provide treatment to both gunshot victims, St. Francis transferred the patients to another hospital. OIG further contends that the benefits of the transfers did not outweigh the risks and unnecessarily placed the health of both gunshot victims at further risk. Under EMTALA hospitals can be fined up to $50,000 per violation. Senior Counsel Sandra Sands represented OIG.

Share