Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-28

been put to bed at Emergency and
then. later told to get up and get
dressed and put In cab-fare pre-
paid-and sent to Gallinger.
This is the payof1!!"
On the same day, another GAL
linger doctor wrote in the log
that, ION several occasions, pa
tients have come to Gallinger in
cabs who have been seen at Emer-
gency Hospital and told to come
out to Gallinger for fur{ek treat
ment and disqualification, Nome of
whom had not even had adequate
emergency treatment. .
ALSO on occasions patients have
come to Gallinger from Emergen-
|cy's emergency room without pre-
vious notification and some
have been unsutured decorations
or other. untreated cases.
'Freedmen's Hospital has been
my nemesis in regards to- such
types Of attractions Of procedures
Several times they have trans
ferred cases to Gallinger with
out previous notification, and on
numerous occasions the. Freed.
mems emergency ambulasste has
brought patients here tor emer-
gency treatment from Northwest
sections Of Washington"
Recounts Incident.
The same doctor also wrote an
account Of an incident in which
he attempted, for the first time.
to transfer a patient to Freed
mems. After the admitting clerk
told him to send the patient ito
Freedmen's, the doctor wrote. an
ambulance driver telephoned him
that the hospital refused to accept
the patient.
"A heated discussion, indeed,
followed" he wrote. AT any rate.
I subsequently found out from the
ambulance driver that. after call
ing their hospital Freedmen's)
superintendent, they decided to
keep the patient"
DR.. Stebbing said such occur
rences have become more rare in
recent months, and that arrange
ments for sending ineligible
patients to Gallinger usually are
made at night or during week ends,
when officials familiar with pol
icies are not at the hospitals.
Can Correct Abuses.
There is no disagreement on
the higher level" DR.. Stebbing
declared. He proposed that many
Of the abuses to Gallinger could
be corrected, II doctors above the
rank Of intern at each hospital
could be made directly responsible
for all transfers during each a.
hour period.
DR.. Stebbing said that, If doctors
lat other hospitals state they dc
not have facilities to care fol
emergency patients, District off,
Gals should have q chance to
place them in other private hos
pitfalls. II these patients do not
meet District requirements for in.
digent care, he said, the hospitals
In most cases can be paid with
Community Chest funds.
Provisions of the Districts con-
tract with nine hospitals here
state the contract hospitals should
take care Of patients who come
to their DOORS" the superintend-
ent said. If other space can't
be found. we will take them, but
We should certainly know when
such patients are being shipped
to us"
In addition to transfers from
hospitals, DR.. Stebbing cited the
case of woman who was refused
Iadmittance for a back ailment
because her husband made about
i 500 q week. The woman, how
ever, entered the hospital as an
alcoholic" and later was trans
ferred to medical ward. where
she received treatment for the
back injury.
To correct such intra-hospital
transfers. DR.. Stebbing said, he
has forbade transfers from psy.
chiatric facilities to other wards
Until District officials can In
yestigate patients eligibility.
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Because 1t might give the wronl