Manistique, MI, hospital loses court fight over bed use

A federal judge has ruled against Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in Manistique, MI, which sued the state due to a disagreement involving how long some patients are allowed to stay in swing beds—beds used for patients requiring short-term treatment of an illness or injury or recovering from surgery, and for those getting long-term care. Michigan officials said if a bed is open at a nearby nursing home, such patients must be transferred after five days, while Schoolcraft officials argued federal law lets the patients stay up to 100 days. The judge sided with the state, and fined the hospital $500,000.