Bingham Memorial submits corrective plan

Bingham Memorial Hospital officials say they have submitted a plan of correction to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). As a result, they say the hospital will not be forced to close.

CMS identified two issues in the hospital’s emergency department during a Jan. 15 inspection.

The inspection came in response to an allegation from a patient.

According to Bingham Memorial, CMS claimed the hospital failed to adopt and follow a policy regarding the availability of an on-call physician and, secondly, that an on-call physician failed to appear at the hospital to provide emergency services.

The hospital was notified that it must submit a plan of correction or be subject to termination of its provider agreement, which would effectively close the hospital June 2.

The investigation centered around EMTALA, or the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, CMS said.

It’s a law enacted in 1986 to prevent “patient dumping” and is intended to prevent hospitals from sending ER patients or women in labor with no ability to pay to other hospitals without treating them first.

Stephanie Magill of CMS said she can only confirm there is an ongoing investigation.

Bingham Memorial Public Relations Director Mark Baker said Monday, the hospital has submitted a plan of correction and expects it to be fully accepted. Although he would not disclose what that plan is until CMS formally approves it, he said the hospital has already implemented the plan.

Baker said the initial allegation was not due to a deficient policy. He said it could be blamed on a miscommunication between the emergency department physician and the on-call physician as to whether the doctor needed to come to the emergency department to see the patient.

He denies there was any “patient dumping”. Baker said the patient was in stable condition and not at risk at any time.