OIG Enforcement Actions: EMTALA Patient Dumping Settlements · January 27, 2026 · Primary source
Cordell Memorial Hospital Agreed to Pay $40,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide an Appropriate Medical Screening Examination
Summary
Cordell Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Cordell, Oklahoma, entered into a $40,000 settlement with OIG on January 27, 2026, resolving allegations that it violated EMTALA by failing to provide an appropriate medical screening examination to a patient who was pregnant and in active labor. OIG found that CMH's ED staff met the patient outside the facility, asked two questions, and directed her to a hospital 15 miles away without checking vital signs or performing a pelvic examination. The patient delivered approximately 40 minutes after arriving at the receiving hospital.
What this may mean
The settlement illustrates that EMTALA's screening obligation attaches the moment a patient presents to the emergency department's dedicated emergency department, including at the entrance, and that brief triage questions outside the facility do not satisfy the appropriate medical screening examination requirement. Hospitals face CMP and affirmative exclusion exposure for directing patients away before completing a compliant screening.
Informational only. Not legal, medical, financial, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional familiar with your specific facts before relying on any item.
Related items
- OIG Enforcement Actions: EMTALA Patient Dumping Settlements · October 3, 2026ECU Health North Hospital Agreed to Pay $200,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide Appropriate Medical Screening ExaminationsScore 92
- OIG Enforcement Actions: EMTALA Patient Dumping Settlements · October 3, 2026West Tennessee Healthcare Agreed to Pay $340,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide Appropriate Medical Screening Examinations and Appropriate TransfersScore 88
- OIG Enforcement Actions: EMTALA Patient Dumping Settlements · October 3, 2026Holmes Regional Medical Center Agreed to Pay $113,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide an Appropriate Medical Screening ExaminationScore 85
- OIG Enforcement Actions: EMTALA Patient Dumping Settlements · October 3, 2026Spartanburg Medical Center Agreed to Pay $100,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Inappropriately Transferring a PatientScore 81
- OIG Newsroom · September 10, 2026CMP and Affirmative Exclusions, EMTALA/Patient Dumping, and Self-DisclosuresScore 52