EMTALA

18G

18G

Paramedic
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Can someone advise if EMTALA governs inter-facility transfer of in-patient's. EMTALA has to be one of the most unclear regulations. Some sources say EMTALA does not apply to in-patients yet certain cases have found that it does apply, and other sources say that all inter-facility transfers should follow EMTALA for protection.

Local teaching says a hospital to hospital transfer of an admitted patient does follow EMTALA and that the sending hospital is obligated to provided medications that are needed or anticipated to be needed to provide the patients care if we do not stock them on the ambulance. There seems to be a lot of misinformation so I am doing my own research.
 
gonefishing

gonefishing

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18G said:
Can someone advise if EMTALA governs inter-facility transfer of in-patient's. EMTALA has to be one of the most unclear regulations. Some sources say EMTALA does not apply to in-patients yet certain cases have found that it does apply, and other sources say that all inter-facility transfers should follow EMTALA for protection.

Local teaching says a hospital to hospital transfer of an admitted patient does follow EMTALA and that the sending hospital is obligated to provided medications that are needed or anticipated to be needed to provide the patients care if we do not stock them on the ambulance. There seems to be a lot of misinformation so I am doing my own research.
Click to expand...
http://www.emtala.com/faq.htm

Check that out maybe it can clear some info up for you or steer you in the right direction.
 
OP
OP
18G

18G

Paramedic
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beano said:
What is the question?
Click to expand...

The question is, does EMTALA apply to patients admitted to a hospital floor? I am being told one thing but it seems like most positions I am reading online state that EMTALA does not apply to patient's admitted to hospital floors. EMTALA is one complicated mess.
 
Ewok Jerky

Ewok Jerky

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As long as the hospital accepts Medicare payment, they have to follow EMTALA. If a floor patient has an emergency complaint there is an obligation to stabalize and treat or transfer to appropriate facility.
 
Tigger

Tigger

Dodges Pucks
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Do you mean if a floor patient deteriorates necessitating transport to a higher level of care or just an IFT from to floor for other reasons?
 
Tigger

Tigger

Dodges Pucks
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Our community hospital here prepares an EMTALA form and provides medication for patients that are being sent on urgent and emergent transfers (if that means anything to you) from the floor to the ED (or ICU) after deterioration. If it's a floor to floor transfer they will not consistently do that, and I cannot get a straight answer. Seems to be more dependent on the staff that day.
 
Tigger

Tigger

Dodges Pucks
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beano said:
Patients get transferred from a floor to the ED?
Click to expand...
Yup. If they can't get an ICU bed for them they will just send them to the ED on occasion...
 
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