UofC Med Center in Trouble After ER Death
Thursday, Jul 30, 2009 | Updated 1:44 PM CST
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A 78-year-old man sat in UofC's emergency room without being checked in or treated until someone noticed he was dead.
Federal officials are threatening to take away the University of Chicago Medical Center's Medicare certification after the death of a 78-year-old man who sat in the emergency room for hours without being triaged or logged in.
The warning came in a March 17 letter from Medicare officials, U of C spokesman John Easton said Friday.
The man's wheelchair was in the emergency room for "a few hours" Feb. 3 but he was neither triaged nor logged in, Easton said. A nurse eventually examined him and found he was not breathing.
The medical center issued a statement saying proper policies and procedures may not have been followed. Unspecified disciplinary action has been taken, it said.
A plan is in the works to prevent recurrences, Easton said.
Copyright Associated Press
Posted Thursday, Jul 30, 2009 - 1:44 PM CST
