CINTRON CRISIS RESOLVED

ORMC’S Appropriate Intervention Could Save Ruby Cintron’s Eye and Vision 
 

ORLANDO, FL—Consejo de Latinos Unidos, the national non-profit organization that educates and assists uninsured Hispanics and others, helped resolve the crisis between Ruby Cintron, the uninsured woman shot in the eye by a stray bullet on New Year’s Eve, and Orlando Regional Medical Center, which was wrongly accused of discharging the patient with a bullet in her head because she was uninsured. 

“We helped clear up the misunderstandings and miscommunication after meeting with the Cintron family and top executives and the medical staff of Orlando Regional this morning,” said K.B. Forbes, Executive Director of the Consejo. “Although there were some possible errors or miscommunication at the time of Ms. Cintron’s discharge, we now believe ORMC did the appropriate intervention on her eye and, unknown to us beforehand, did a critical surgical procedure on New Year’s Day that may have saved Ms. Cintron’s eye and vision. We also now believe that Ms. Cintron’s discharge was not motivated by her lack of insurance.” 

The Consejo and ORMC officials concluded during their discussions earlier this week that: 

• ORMC did the appropriate intervention in an attempt to save Ruby Cintron’s eye and vision. The surgical procedure at ORMC lasted an hour and forty-two minutes and included the repair of the eyelid and globe.

• At the time of surgery, the bullet could not be removed because it would have been too dangerous and could have complicated her condition.

• Ruby Cintron’s discharge was not motivated by her lack of insurance.

Both ORMC and the Consejo will continue to assist the Hispanic and uninsured community of Orlando, and promised during their discussions to work together on two major undertakings: 

• Consejo will work with ORMC on the hospital’s continuing outreach to the Hispanic community and the uninsured by assisting with direct mail, marketing, and customer satisfaction initiatives.

• As part of ORMC’s ongoing mission to help the uninsured, ORMC will work with the Consejo to make the hospital’s discount policy for the uninsured more generous and services rendered more affordable for uninsured families.

ORMC and the Consejo concluded that there may have been some possible human error and miscommunication the morning of Ms. Cintron’s discharge. Ms. Cintron was discharged so she could visit an off-site specialist even though she was dizzy, had vomited, and was in pain. Also, independent vendors failed to inform Ms. Cintron that a Medicaid application was submitted and that she had qualified for Charity Care.