California hospitals accused of patient dumping to pay $1.6 million.

[panamania79 2]

LOS ANGELES – A $1.6 million settlement has been reached with two Southern California hospitals accused of improperly discharging and dumping psychiatric patients on Los Angeles' Skid Row, the city attorney's office said Wednesday.

The settlement also bars College Hospitals in Costa Mesa and Cerritos from transporting homeless psychiatric patients to downtown shelters, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's office said.

City officials allege that over two years, as many as 150 patients from the two hospitals were dumped on Skid Row, an area on the east side of downtown where thousands of homeless people live.

"We will not stand idly by while society's most vulnerable are dumped in the gutters of Skid Row," Delgadillo said in a statement.

Under the settlement, the hospitals agreed to give $1.2 million to charities that care for the mentally ill and homeless and to pay $400,000 in civil penalties.

In one case, the city attorney's office said Steven Davis, 32, a bipolar schizophrenic, was driven 40 miles to the Union Rescue Mission last year from the Costa Mesa hospital. The next day, the shelter contacted the hospital and asked them to pick up Davis, saying they were unequipped to treat him.

A van from the hospital came for Davis but simply dropped him at another Skid Row shelter, according to the city attorney's office. From there, he wandered the streets before ending up at a clinic that contacted his family and found a place for him to board and receive treatment.

Last May, the hospital's chief executive officer, Wayne Lingenfelter, denied dumping patients. He said Davis requested discharge to the Los Angeles shelter and had adequate health care in place.

Attorney David Daniels, who represents Davis, said College Hospitals will be required to develop protocols for discharging psychiatric patients to "ensure homeless psychiatric patients will have the dignity and the continuum of care that everyone leaving a hospital deserves."

College Hospitals attorney Glenn Solomon denied any wrongdoing by the hospitals.

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[Niels Bohr 72]

That's horrible!

[almaty 19]

that is done in allot of areas of this country

[NickD 203]

The other side of the story is that both our hospital and clinic are hurting as people are not paying their bills for medical services. Somebody has to pay for it, they are both private institutions, have to buy a lot of the latest equipment, supplies, keep the place clean and heated or cooled, plus have to maintain a highly qualified staff or will get hit with huge malpractice suits.

So, who in the hell is paying for these nuts to stay there?

Both our hospital and clinic are talking about either reducing wages or cutting staff, no business can operate in a hole. Cutting wages doesn't work, qualified people can still find a job elsewhere. One bit of strong advice five of my family members followed, get into medical as everything little stinky town in this country needs medical services, you sure can't say that about engineering when your job goes to the far east. But is a trend starting where people are finding better medical deals over there and different countries, the price of a plane ticket is nothing.

If there is anything I hate in this country besides governmental agencies, is attorneys, and we have a congress full of them, they are running this country to hell. But what the hell to they care, just raise taxes legally, the rest of us have to work our cans off.

[almaty 19]

it is the federal law....

[Niels Bohr 72]

These Doctors are charging patients an arm and leg for care.

[Scott & Lai 12]

it is the federal law....

What, that hospitals shall go broke? Doctors shall work without being paid for their services?

[NickD 203]

In Wisconsin, we have a law that every county has to have a nuthouse for lack of a better word. Well, they call it a health center even leaving off the word, mental. In our town, it's only located two blocks from the Hospital and is city, county, and state supported. Even at that, fees are charged based on your ability to pay. While our hospital does have a mental wing, the only time patients go there if they have other serious physical health issues to deal with.

It does take a court order to have a patient admitted to these places with a hearing that the patient is of either danger to himself or to other people, if that danger cannot be proved, the patient is not admitted.

Not much detail about California, but surprised with their taxes, they must not place institutions of that kind, and nothing was said about these patients being a danger to themselves or to other people. Just the fines they imposed on the hospitals, a good reason not to live in California. Yeah, I had job offers there, but turned them down. We do have plenty of room in our institutions, you are welcome to use them for your government leadership.

[almaty 19]

it is the federal law....

What, that hospitals shall go broke? Doctors shall work without being paid for their services?

Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) requires a hospital to provide an appropriate medical screening examination to any person who comes to the hospital emergency department (ED) and requests treatment or an examination for a medical condition. If the examination reveals an emergency medical condition, the hospital must also provide either necessary stabilizing treatment or an appropriate transfer to another medical facility.

EMTALA was included in the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) legislation of 1986.

The initial intent of EMTALA was to address the alleged practices of some hospitals transferring, discharging, or refusing to treat patients who did not have insurance. It was alleged that hospital emergency rooms were denying uninsured patients the same treatment provided to patients with insurance or means to pay. Several cases seem to suggest that hospitals were "dumping" patients, that is, transferring patients to another hospital simply because the patient did not have insurance.

[Peikko 1,575]

If you want to eliminate random violent crime, this is an excellent place to start, care for the mentally challenged.

[Ban Hammer 13,398]

If you want to eliminate random violent crime, this is an excellent place to start, care for the mentally challenged.

the mentally challenged are responsible for random violent crime?

[Niels Bohr 72]

If you want to eliminate random violent crime, this is an excellent place to start, care for the mentally challenged.

the mentally challenged are responsible for random violent crime?

Hmm...I'd have to say some of them are violent especially the ones who exhibit the Hannibal Lecture symptoms.

[Peikko 1,575]

Yes.

[Ban Hammer 13,398]

If you want to eliminate random violent crime, this is an excellent place to start, care for the mentally challenged.

the mentally challenged are responsible for random violent crime?

Hmm...I'd have to say some of them are violent especially the ones who exhibit the Hannibal Lecture symptoms.

they lecture people too?

[Niels Bohr 72]

If you want to eliminate random violent crime, this is an excellent place to start, care for the mentally challenged.

the mentally challenged are responsible for random violent crime?

Hmm...I'd have to say some of them are violent especially the ones who exhibit the Hannibal Lecture symptoms.

they lecture people too?

You crack me up!