Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing claims of patient dumping after it allegedly discharged an uninsured patient prematurely, according to a Tennessean report.
A lawsuit working its way through Nashville's circuit court claims VUMC discharged a patient two weeks after he underwent surgeries that saved his legs, which were injured in a motorcycle accident.
The patient, Patrick Miller, was sent Nov. 5, 2010, but returned to VUMC two days later "with an infection so severe that his right leg had to be amputated above the knee," according to the report.
The suit claims VUMC engaged in patient dumping, or prematurely discharging Mr. Miller in light of his uninsured status for economic reasons, according to the report.
VUMC spokesperson John Howser told The Tennessean the hospital consistently runs at or near patient capacity and that VUMC provides more than $370 million a year in uncompensated care, according to the report.
Vanderbilt lawyers have denied deficient care for Mr. Miller or patient dumping, and they have asked for the case to be dismissed. Lawyers also said Mr. Miller's surgery was "very complex" due to the severity of his injuries, according to the report.
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