patient dumping, the premature discharge of Medicare or indigent patients from hospitals for economic reasons. A 1986 U.S. federal rule requires hospitals to advise Medicare patients on admission for treatment of their right to challenge what they consider as premature discharge after treatment. The regulation was adopted after initiation of a Medicare policy of paying hospitals according to a particular illness, regardless of the length of hospitalization, as an incentive for hospitals to reduce the period of inpatient care.
