HHS Announces New Actions to Help Hospitals Meet Obligations under EMTALA

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Today, CMS launched a new web page to help people understand the protections they have in an emergency room when they are experiencing an emergency medical condition, including:

1. An appropriate medical screening exam to check for an emergency medical condition, and if you have one,
2. Treatment until your condition is stable, or
3. An appropriate transfer to another hospital if you need it.

The law that gives everyone in the U.S. these protections is the Emergency Medical Treatment And Labor Act. Known as “EMTALA,” this law helps prevent hospital emergency rooms from refusing to treat patients. The law applies to hospitals that receive Medicare funds, which includes most hospitals in the U.S.

You can learn more about EMTALA by watching this video. 

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EMTALA Web page: https://www.cms.gov/priorities/your-patient-rights/emergency-room-rights

EMTALA Video: 

https://qsep.cms.gov/pubs/EPlayer.aspx?cid=0CMSEMTALA_MicroTraining&sco

Press Release