Title: Law 101: Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) - MPR
Headings: Law 101: Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)
Law 101: Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)
Ann W. Latner, JD
Quiz: The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) applies to:
Who does the law apply to?
Topics:

Content: Law 101: Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) - MPR
Publish Date
December 1, 2015
Law 101: Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)
Ann W. Latner, JD
Law 101: Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)
Quiz: The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) applies to: a) All hospitals
b) Medicare-participating hospitals
c) Military hospitals
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d) Walk-in clinics
e) All of the above
Enacted in 1986, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, commonly known as EMTALA, is a Federal law that requires anyone coming to almost any emergency department to be stabilized and treated, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. The Act has been referred to as the “anti-dumping” law as it was designed to prevent hospitals from transferring uninsured or Medicaid patients. Who does the law apply to? EMTALA applies to any hospital/health-system that accepts payment from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the Medicare program for services provided to beneficiaries of that program. Practically speaking, this means it applies to almost all hospitals in the United States, aside from some private hospitals (such as Shriners’ Hospitals for Children) and military hospitals.