Title: What is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)? - FindLaw
Headings: What is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)?
What is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)?
What is EMTALA?
Does EMTALA Apply to All Hospitals?
What Actions Must a Hospital Take Under EMTALA?
1. Appropriate Medical Screening Examination
2. Stabilization of Any Emergency Medical Condition
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What If a Hospital Does Not Follow EMTALA?
What Does a Patient Have to Prove in a Lawsuit?
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Protect Your EMTALA Rights: Call a Health Care Attorney

Content: What Actions Must a Hospital Take Under EMTALA? EMTALA imposes two essential obligations on hospitals: 1. Appropriate Medical Screening Examination
When a person seeks treatment at a hospital emergency room, the hospital must provide an appropriate medical screening examination (MSE) to determine whether an emergency medical condition (EMC exists). Generally, an EMC is a medical condition where failure to provide immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in serious harm to bodily functions, serious damage of a bodily organ or part, or serious risk to the health of an individual and/or unborn child. The hospital does not have an obligation under EMTALA to treat the patient if after the MSE the hospital determines there is no EMC. 2. Stabilization of Any Emergency Medical Condition
If the screening reveals an EMC, the hospital must treat the patient and "stabilize" the medical condition before transferring the patient to another hospital or discharging the patient from the emergency room. Under EMTALA, “stabilized” means that no significant worsening of the patient’s medical condition is likely to result because of a transfer or discharge. Thank you for subscribing!