EMTALA/Medicare?

[RedAirplane]

From what I understand, EMTALA guarantees that a patient with an emergency medical condition will be evaluated and treated regardless of insurance and ability to pay.

The way that this happens is as a condition of participating in Medicare.

Does anyone know of any ERs that don't accept Medicare, and therefore, actually turn away patients who cannot pay?

Or is medicare something that is universally accepted somehow?

 

[Operations Guy]

I have never heard of an ER turning away patients. I have heard of ERs diverting ambulances to other ERs cause of no available space or shortage of resources however.

Medicare is just a federal health insurance program that is abused and a form of socialist engineering in my opinion.

 

[AtlasFlyer]

The VA's ER can turn away patients.

 

[Operations Guy]

The VA's ER can turn away patients.

I don't associate Veterans Administration with Emergency Care....

 

[Handsome Robb]

The VA's ER can turn away patients.

I thought they still had to do the whole stabilize and transfer deal for critical patients who present to them?


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[PotatoMedic]

I thought they still had to do the whole stabilize and transfer deal for critical patients who present to them?


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Negative. Since they do not take Medicare/Medicaid they can deny patients. The Seattle VA has done it a many times. I've even heard stories about them sending the VA police to block people from getting in the ER.

What's funny is the military hospitals near me will take anyone. Then ship out the non military patients to other facilities.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I can't tell you how many times the Seattle VA told me "don't bring them here". Okay then. Off to Swedish we go.

 

[AtlasFlyer]

I don't associate Veterans Administration with Emergency Care....

The Indy VA hospital has an ED. We can take patients who qualify for VA care there like any other transport, we are required to call in advance to advise of arrival and give the last 4 of SS and PT's initials. Patients who do not qualify for VA care we are not to ever transport to VA, and they can turn away.

One of the full-service, Level I trauma centers is literally across the street from the VA, and the Level I trauma ped facility is a stone's throw down the road. So to even consider taking anyone who doesn't quality for VA to the VA is just silly.

 

[luke_31]

I thought they still had to do the whole stabilize and transfer deal for critical patients who present to them?


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Nope when I was working in LA the Wilshire blvd. VA would make us wait in the hall to verify status before letting us in with the patient to the ER.

 

[RocketMedic]

I've literally watched the VA ED push an elderly woman with chest pain into the lobby to wait for an ambulance. They did perform a 12-lead though, without registering her (it might have been a technician's rebellious act of decency). They can be ruthless about it.

 

[Kevinf]

I couldn't get one of our VA ED's to answer the line after 5 separate attempts spread over 10 minutes, and when we got there the charge nurse had a fit about us not calling it in. Well, answer the line!

Same VA ED, separate incident. Had a psych transfer from a community hospital; I called in and told them the patient was an elopement risk, only semi-compliant, and needed supervision. The sending hospital also also called in the same report before we left. Got there, transferred care, repeated the same instructions to the staff we met and went down the hall to make the stretcher and hit the restroom. Saw the patient wandering the halls without pants on a few minutes later.

The last time I was there, they actually managed to act like a functioning emergency department at least. So that's something.