39317 EMTALA

Course overview

Discussion of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) including why the law was implemented; definition of terms related to the law; EMTALA provisions that apply to people who present to a hospital emergency department (ED), including allowable registration processes, and appropriate transferring of patients, possible situations in which requesting an EMTALA exemption may be appropriate; and penalties for EMTALA violations. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), also known as the patient anti-dumping statute, was passed in 1986 by Congress as a part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) in order to ensure that individuals with an emergency medical condition are not denied lifesaving services and treatment. Prior to EMTALA, there were reports of situations where treatment was not provided, or patients who were unstable for transfer to another facility were transferred improperly and sometimes without consent from the receiving facility. There are multiple provisions under EMTALA which registered nurses and other healthcare professionals working in emergency departments in the US need to be aware of in order to remain in compliance with EMTALA guidelines. This program provides an overview of EMTALA, and discusses the EMTALA rules and regulations in which participating hospitals must abide by in order to remain in compliance and avoid penalties for an EMTALA violation.