Patient Refuses To Leave FL Hospital 5 Months After Discharge, Lawsuit Claims

TALLAHASSEE, FL — A Florida hospital is suing a patient who they claim refuses to leave her room despite being formally discharged five months ago, according to reports.

In a complaint filed earlier this month, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare said it was filing a lawsuit against a patient who was discharged from the hospital on Oct. 6 and continued to occupy a room at the time of filing on March 2, WCTV reported.

The hospital said the patient was admitted to the hospital for treatment, but staff later determined she no longer needed “acute care hospital services.”

According to an Associated Press report, the hospital has repeatedly made efforts to coordinate her departure with family members and offered transportation to obtain necessary identification.

The hospital said that resources have been diverted from helping other patients because of her occupation of the room.

“Defendant's continued occupancy prevents use of the bed for patients needing acute care,” the hospital said in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit didn't specify what the patient was treated for, what her hospital bill was or how she was able to stay at the hospital for more than five months despite being discharged.

The hospital is asking a state judge in Tallahassee for an injunction ordering the patient to vacate the hospital room and authorizing the county sheriff's office to assist if necessary.

An online court hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for the end of the month.

Under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals that receive Medicare funds must provide treatment that stabilizes anyone coming to an emergency department with an emergency medical condition, even if the patient doesn't have insurance or the ability to pay. Hospitals can be investigated by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for violations.

The patient can be discharged when the clinicians have determined that any further care can be provided as an outpatient, “provided the individual is given a plan for appropriate follow-up care as part of the discharge instructions,” the federal agency said in an operations manual.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.