Idaho Hospital Accused of Turning Away Patients Who Couldn’t Pay

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (AP) — An eastern Idaho hospital is being investigated by federal authorities amid concerns the hospital violated the law by turning away patients who didn't have the ability to pay.

Bingham Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer Louis Kraml in a letter to board members on Friday says the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will close the hospital on June 2 if the hospital fails to take corrective measures. Agency spokeswoman Stephanie Magill confirmed the hospital is being investigated.

Hospital spokesman Mark Baker says the hospital didn't engage in "patient dumping" by turning away people who couldn't pay. He says the investigation is the result of a miscommunication between an emergency department doctor and an on-call physician on Jan. 15. He says the patient's health was never in jeopardy.