Private (for profit) hospitals released their private insured patients

[Horse with no Name]

and dumped their other patients at the other overcrowded public hospitals (Tulane, Charity) and skipped town on Sunday. Anyone else hear this before today?
I wonder if any of these were HCA (Frist) hospitals?

[iamjoy]

1. Tulane Is HCA

they also have, or maybe had a hospital in Gulfport.

Do you have any link about this? I have a hard time believing hospitals would do this, the logistics of moving patients would be staggering. I would believe they may have released a lot of non-critical patients several days earlier than normal protocal would dictate. I gotta say, if I were in a hospital in a city twenty feet below sea level and were not hooked up to machines to breathe, I'd say let me the hell out of here, I'd rather take my chances out of the hospital but out of the way of the storm.

[NVMojo]

2. welcome to the world of for-profit hospitals. haven't you heard the

term "patient dumping"? It's done all the time for lesser reasons than fatal storms. Do a google search on it. Then you will see how this is probably what happened in this case. And HCA has committed other acts in the past based on the "bottom line", ie -like little issue with Medicare. Look into Columbia HCA ....

[Horse with no Name]

3. I'm a nurse and know exactly what it is

It's also illegal.

[iamjoy]

6. Trust Me - I Am Quite Familiar With HCA

but do we have any evidence they or other hospitals engaged in patient dumping in this case.

I thought patient dumping was done when hospitals were looking to get rid of uninsured patients.

[Horse with no Name]

5. It was on wwltv earlier today

can't find the link now

It's standard practice to release all patients that can go.
But to take all others to another overloaded facility is criminal.

[wli]

4. time for mass murder criminal suits against them

Time for a corporate death penalty, exacted with extreme prejudice.

In fact, "executing" all corporations by revoking corporate personhood across the board looks like a really damned good idea.