State Faults Hospital in ‘Dumping’ Case ; Cites Lapses in Hackensack’s Patient Care
By MARY JO LAYTON, STAFF WRITER
State health officials cited Hackensack University Medical Center for providing inadequate care to a patient whose case sparked allegations of patient dumping.
Among the deficiencies the state found was the hospital’s failure to assess the medical condition of the 58-year-old patient when he was discharged in September after being treated for an aortic aneurysm. He was so sick he ended up in another hospital just two hours after being discharged from Hackensack.
“We’re reviewing their plan for correction,” said Marilyn Riley, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Senior Services.
The patient, Gustavo Segovia an Ecuadorean with no health insurance and ineligible for Medicaid was taken by ambulance to Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck shortly after his discharge from Hackensack. He spent the next four days in intensive care.
The case has sparked a lawsuit between the two hospitals in which Holy Name accused Hackensack of “dumping” Segovia because he was a financial burden.
According to the state report, “there was no evidence” that Segovia’s vital signs were taken prior to his discharge or that his surgical wound and three other medical conditions were taken care of.
There was also no evidence that Segovia’s caregivers were told how to clean his surgical wound or how to address his other medical conditions. His medical records were also not completed within 30 days of discharge. The hospital also failed to provide Segovia with written instructions for follow-up care, state health regulators concluded.
A key issue whether Hackensack discharged a patient before he was medically ready is still under review, health officials said.
“The question of whether the discharge was appropriate relates to medical practice,” Riley said. “If we find during our review it’s warranted, we would certainly refer the issue to the appropriate licensing board,” she said.
When he arrived at Holy Name, Segovia was in respiratory distress, feverish, suffering from infected surgical wounds, advanced bed sores and symptoms of pneumonia, according to Holy Name officials.
In December, a state judge ordered Hackensack to pay for Segovia’s return to Ecuador and his care for 10 days at a facility there. He was flown home Jan. 11 on a special plane at a cost of $45,000 to Hackensack.
In a statement released this week, Hackensack said: “There were no findings related to the quality of care received by Mr. Segovia.”
“Discharge instructions which were verbally given to the patient and family were not fully documented.”
Hackensack officials have said that Segovia’s physician signed off on his discharge. Segovia’s medical records say Segovia was in “stable satisfactory condition” when he was discharged.
Segovia had been at Hackensack for more than three months, costing the hospital more than $315,000, Hackensack officials said.
The state visited the hospital Dec. 20 to investigate and interviewed staff involved in Segovia’s care which began in July.
The hospital could be subjected to fines or other disciplinary action once the review is complete.
“We have to complete all of our reviews before we make a decision about any enforcement action,” Riley said.
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E-mail: layton@northjersey.com
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