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?
Is There a Penalty for Violating EMTALA?
Protect Your EMTALA Rights: Call a Health Care Attorney

Content: A hospital could choose not to treat a patient who lacked insurance or enough money to pay for the required medical treatment. In some cases, patients died or suffered serious injuries because of a transfer or delay in treatment. Does EMTALA Apply to All Hospitals? EMTALA applies to all hospitals that have emergency rooms and participate in the Medicare program. Since almost all hospitals, public and private, receive Medicare funds, nearly all hospitals are covered by EMTALA. 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.