CMS cites Baltimore hospital for patient safety violations: 5 things to know

Ayla Ellison -

CMS cited Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown for violating several patient safety and patient rights regulations related to an incident in January, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Here are five things to know.

1. In January, a UMMC Midtown patient was discharged from the hospital wearing a hospital gown. The patient, who has only been identified as Rebecca, was found outside the facility by a local psychotherapist, Imamu Baraka. He posted a video to Facebook, noting it was only 30 degrees when hospital security guards left Rebecca outside. He called an ambulance and Rebecca was taken back to the hospital's ED.

2. Rebecca arrived at the hospital for treatment for a head wound she sustained when she fell off of a motor bike. After receiving treatment, Rebecca reportedly became resistant when she was being discharged. UMMC Midtown nurses asked hospital security to help, and Rebecca was removed from the hospital.

3. A CMS investigation found several deficiencies related to the incident. CMS determined UMMC Midtown enacted barriers to patients receiving emergency care, failed to discharge a patient in a safe manner, failed to protect a patient's right to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment, and violated the patient's right to receive care in a safe setting, according to The Baltimore Sun.

4. CMS also determined the hospital's staff failed to record when the patient returned to the ED within a couple of hours, which resulted in Rebecca not being recorded in the hospital's log.

5. UMMC has put a corrective action plan into place in response to the violations, according to the report.

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