By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Federal regulators have cited Beaufort Memorial Hospital for multiple policy violations after a woman gave birth unassisted in the hospital’s parking lot in March, concluding that staff failed to properly evaluate and assist her when she arrived seeking emergency care.
The findings were detailed in a Statement of Deficiencies issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which cited the hospital for noncompliance with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), a federal law enacted in 1986 that requires hospitals to screen and stabilize anyone who presents with an emergency medical condition.
According to the report, the incident occurred around 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 11 at Beaufort Memorial’s Ribaut Road campus.
The woman’s partner rushed into the emergency department while she waited in their vehicle outside.
He told staff her water had broken as they arrived and that she “felt the baby’s head coming out.”
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed a red, Jeep-like vehicle pull up to the emergency department.
The woman was reclined in the passenger seat in a birthing position, with her feet on the dashboard and knees separated.
The patient care technician on duty directed the man to drive the woman to the hospital’s Birthing Center, located elsewhere on campus, but no emergency department staff member went outside to assess the woman or determine whether it was safe for her to be moved, investigators found.
At the time, no triage registered nurse was stationed in the emergency department lobby, a violation of hospital staffing protocols that require continuous coverage of that position.
When a triage nurse is unavailable, policy requires the technician to notify the department’s charge nurse, but that did not happen, the report said.
The technician later told investigators that on-site construction had blocked the most direct route to the Birthing Center and that he believed driving would be faster.
“I should never have done that,” the technician said in an interview, referring to instructing the couple to drive without first assessing the patient. “I should have gone out to evaluate the situation.”
A department manager told investigators there was “no excuse” for the failure and confirmed hospital policy requires patients in active labor to be assisted by staff and transported internally to the Birthing Center for evaluation.
Construction and roadway closures on campus contributed to confusion as the couple attempted to find the Birthing Center, according to the report.
The woman’s partner entered the Surgical Center seeking help.
While he was away, the woman delivered a baby boy in the vehicle without medical assistance.
Hospital staff later arrived to find the newborn resting on her chest.
The report did not detail the medical condition of the mother or child following the delivery, though investigators noted the mother spoke with officials approximately two weeks later.
Regulators concluded the hospital failed to provide a required medical screening examination, a central violation of EMTALA.
The law is designed to prevent hospitals from delaying, denying or redirecting emergency care for patients who present to emergency departments.
In addition to the events of March 11, investigators cited deficiencies in Beaufort Memorial’s EMTALA training.
Annual instruction provided to staff consisted of a brief written overview and a short online video that lacked key elements of the law, including definitions, treatment obligations, on-call physician requirements and whistleblower protections.
The report also found not all emergency department and obstetric staff received consistent EMTALA training and noted gaps in childbirth-related policies, including the absence of a clearly defined obstetric triage process aligned with national standards.
It was the hospital’s first EMTALA violation since 2010, according to federal records.
Beaufort Memorial submitted a corrective action plan that was approved by CMS.
The hospital replaced its online training modules and required all staff members to complete the updated instruction, with the possibility of suspension for noncompliance.
Hospital officials also pledged to ensure a registered nurse is always stationed at the emergency department reception desk.
Asked to comment on the federal report, a hospital spokesperson provided a statement from President and CEO Russell Baxley.
“We take our obligations under federal law very seriously. Patient safety and access to emergency care remain our highest priorities,” Baxley said. “Beaufort Memorial remains committed to those priorities and compliance with law. At this time, the matter is not closed, and no further comment will be made.”
Founded in 1944, Beaufort Memorial Hospital is chartered by the state and governed by a nine-member board appointed by Beaufort County Council.
The hospital’s expansion plans include new facilities in Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
