EMTALA Requirements

Outline:

Section 1: Introduction

About This Course

Learning Objectives

Section 2: EMTALA Obligations

Meet Adela Flores

Patient Dumping

COBRA and EMTALA

Obligations Under EMTALA

Penalties for EMTALA Violation

Review

Summary

Section 3: Key Terms Within EMTALA

Medical Screening Examination (MSE)

Emergency Medical Condition (EMC)

Stabilize

Transfer

Case Study

Comes to the Emergency Department

Dedicated Emergency Department

Capability and Capacity

A Case Where an On-Call List Was Not Clear

On-Call Coverage Responsibilities

When Obligations Under EMTALA End

Review

Summary

Section 4: Special Conditions and EMTALA

Psychiatric Patient Case Example

Patients with Psychiatric Problems

Patients Involved with Law Enforcement

Patients Presenting to the ED for Non-Emergency Purposes

Outpatients, Inpatients, and Observation Status

EMTALA and ED Surges

EMTALA and COVID-19

Review

Summary

Section 5: EMTALA Cases and Verdicts

Madison Lang

Was EMTALA Violated?

Verdict

Charles Dobson

Was EMTALA Violated?

Verdict

Unintended Consequences

Summary

Section 6: Conclusion

Summary

Course Contributor(s)

Resources

References

Rebecca Smallwood, MBA, RN, has experience across multiple healthcare settings including: rural and urban acute care hospitals, public health, ambulatory surgery, higher education, and commercial healthcare learning organizations. Her roles have included: medical/surgical, ED, and OR Staff and Charge Nurse; Director of School Health Services/School Nurse; Public Health Epidemiology and Bioterrorism Preparedness Specialist; Infection Control Practitioner; Quality Management Specialist; Organizational Development Specialist and Educator. Prior to joining Relias as an acute care SME Writer in 2017 and Curriculum Designer in 2021, she provided consultation to Swank Healthcare and was the Director of Education Services for Health.edu, a division of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Rebecca earned a diploma in nursing from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas in 1989 and an MBA from Wayland Baptist University in 2010 with an emphasis in healthcare administration. 

Disclosure: Rebecca Smallwood, MBA, RN has no Relevant Financial or Non-Financial Relationship with ineligible companies to disclose.

Cathryn Ayers, RN, MSN has nearly 10 years of critical care experience. She was active in multiple committees to improve patient safety, executed staff education activities, and managed the new graduate orientation program for those entering intensive care units. Cathryn obtained a license for massage and bodywork therapy in 2012 and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2016 with a Master of Science in Nursing Education. She has provided telephonic case management services and developed program materials to facilitate positive outcomes for people with rare conditions across the United States. Cathryn has a passion for teaching and helping others to be their best. Disclosure: Cathryn Ayers, RN has no Relevant Financial or Non-Financial Relationship with ineligible companies to disclose.