3 Mass. ERs cited for denial of care

Health officials cited three Massachusetts hospitals in the past six months for wrongly sending away patients from their emergency rooms, in one case resulting in the death of a patient while en route to another facility. Flagrant or repeat violators risk losing their right to treat Medicare and Medicaid patients, which can cost a hospital millions of dollars. Charlton, St. Vincent, and Lahey Clinic in Burlington—which turned away an emergency room patient in November—have been told they will not lose their Medicare contracts, but they could be fined. Federal officials said it is unusual to have three cases in such a short span.