Hospital slammed for leaving elderly heart patient in lobby

BOSTON: A prestigious Boston hospital is under fire from the family of an 80-year-old man who says he was discharged without notice after heart surgery wearing nothing but two hospital gowns and socks.

Sharlet Ramsland said she received a call from her father, Allen Ramsland, saying he had been discharged from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She drove an hour to find him sitting alone in the lobby, confused and unsteady.

Allen Ramsland told WBZ-TV the family had been told he would be discharged later Wednesday.

The hospital said it cannot comment on individual patients but is "deeply committed to providing the highest quality care and treating our patients with dignity and respect."

The family doesn't plan to sue, just wants to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else.