31.   The company had been accused, among other things, of milking insurance companies for every penny of coverage, then discharging patients the day their insurance ran out.

32.   The Medicare reimbursement system provides incentives for hospitals to discharge patients as early as possible, especially into home health and nursing units.

33.   The patient eventually was discharged from the hospital.

34.   The provision seeks to discourage hospitals from discharging patients early into other facilities for the sake of collecting more money from Medicare.

35.   The residents were admonished about the need to discharge patients in a timely manner.

36.   The system gives hospitals an incentive to discharge patients to home-care agencies early to boost their reimbursements by Medicare.

37.   The two have been charged with using unproven medical treatments, administering general anesthesia without proper supervision and discharging their patients without providing for adequate after-care.

38.   They noted that Gov. George Pataki had proposed legislation to toughen enforcement and bar hospitals and other facilities from discharging patients to adult homes accused of serious violations.

39.   Thomas said today hospitals would lose some of their Medicare payment if they discharged their patients early into a skilled nursing facility that they own.

40.   Two congressional panels approved bills Thursday that would prevent nursing homes from discharging Medicaid patients if the homes drop out of the Medicaid program.