OIG - Office of Inspector General

10/23/2024 | Press release | Archived content

Coliseum Medical Center Agreed to Pay $100,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide Appropriate Medical Screening Examination

Coliseum Medical Center Agreed to Pay $100,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide Appropriate Medical Screening Examination

On October 23, 2024, Coliseum Medical Center, Inc. (CMC), Macon, Georgia, entered into a $100,000 settlement agreement with OIG. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that CMC violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when it failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination. Based on its investigation, OIG concluded that in November 2018, CMC failed to provide an adequate medical screening examination for a female child. Specifically, a women presented to CMC's Emergency Department (ED), with a child, approximately 5 or 6 years old, requesting an examination to determine if the child had been sexually assaulted. ED staff informed the woman that CMC's facility did not have rape kits available and would not perform a pelvic examination of the child. Rather, CMC informed the woman that it would contact local authorities and the local crisis center for consultation. The woman and the child left CMC's facility without the child having received any medical screening examination from CMC. Deputy Branch Chief Felicia Heimer represented OIG.

Action Details

  • Date:October 23, 2024
  • Enforcement Types:
    • CMP and Affirmative Exclusions,
    • EMTALA/Patient Dumping

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