Cordell Memorial Hospital Agreed to Pay $40,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide an Appropriate Medical Screening Examination

Cordell Memorial Hospital Agreed to Pay $40,000 for Allegedly Violating Patient Dumping Statute by Failing to Provide an Appropriate Medical Screening Examination

On January 27, 2026, Cordell Memorial Hospital (CMH), Cordell, Oklahoma, entered into a $40,000 settlement agreement with OIG. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that HRMC violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Based on its investigation, OIG concluded that in March 2021, CMH failed to provide an appropriate medical screening examination to a patient who was pregnant and in active labor. Specifically, the patient presented to CMH's Emergency Department (ED) via private vehicle (driven by another individual) and having contractions every 1 - 2 minutes. CMH's ED staff met the patient outside the facility and asked if her water had broken and if there was an immediate need to push. After the patient responded in the negative to these questions, CMH's ED staff suggested the patient go to a different hospital approximately 15 miles away. CMH's ED staff did not check vital signs or do a pelvic examination to assess whether there was time to effect a safe transfer to another hospital before delivery or whether transfer posed a threat to the health or safety of the patient or her unborn child. The patient delivered the child approximately 40 minutes after arriving at the other hospital.