Swedish American Hospital Agreed to Pay $100,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide an Appropriate Medical Screening Examination and Stabilizing Treatment

On August 14, 2025, Swedish American Hospital (SAH), Rockford, Illinois, entered into a $100,000 settlement agreement with OIG. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that SAH violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Based on its investigation, OIG concluded that in 2024, SAH failed to provide an adequate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to a patient who presented to SAH’s Emergency Department (ED) complaining of suicidal ideation. Specifically, the patient presented a petition for involuntary admission signed by a mental health professional from an outpatient facility that SAH had referred the patient to the prior day. The patient did not receive an appropriate medical screening, was not stabilized, and was discharged approximately two hours after presentment.