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A patient occupying Room 373 at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare is making headlines for her refusal to vacate the premises.
Earlier this month, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare initiated legal action against the patient, who has remained in her hospital room despite being officially discharged last October. The hospital is now seeking a court injunction from a state judge in Tallahassee to compel the patient to leave. They have also requested authorization for the county sheriff’s office to assist in her removal if required.
The hospital argues that the patient’s prolonged stay is diverting resources away from other patients in need. “Her continued occupancy prevents the use of the bed for patients requiring acute care,” the lawsuit states.
According to legal documents, the woman was admitted for medical treatment and was officially discharged on October 6, after her medical team determined she no longer required acute care services. The hospital claims it has made several attempts to facilitate her departure, including coordinating with her family and offering transportation to help the patient obtain necessary identification.
According to the lawsuit, the woman was admitted to the hospital for medical treatment and a formal discharge order was issued Oct. 6 after it was determined that she no longer needed acute care services. The hospital has repeatedly made efforts to coordinate her departure with family members and offered transportation to obtain necessary identification, the lawsuit said.
Rachel Givens, an attorney for the hospital, said Wednesday that the hospital had no comment. Hospital spokeswoman Macy Layton said Wednesday that the hospital couldn’t discuss active legal matters, in response to emailed questions, including about what type of identification the patient needed.
The lawsuit doesn’t say what the patient was treated for, what her hospital bill was or how she was able to stay at the hospital for more than five months despite being discharged.
No attorney was listed for the patient, who is representing herself. Phone numbers listed in an online database for the patient were disconnected. No one answered the phone when a call was put through to her room at the hospital.
An online court hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for the end of the month.
Under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals that receive Medicare funds must provide treatment that stabilizes anyone coming to an emergency department with an emergency medical condition, even if the patient doesn’t have insurance or the ability to pay. Hospitals can be investigated by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for violations.
The patient can be discharged when the clinicians have determined that any further care can be provided as an outpatient, “provided the individual is given a plan for appropriate follow-up care as part of the discharge instructions,” the federal agency said in an operations manual.