CMS Clarifies EMTALA Issues

CAL/AAEM News Service calaaem_news at yahoo.com
Sat May 26 02:21:56 PDT 2007


CMS Clarifies EMTALA Issues 

Source: AAEM (http://www.aaem.org)
Date: May 22, 2007


The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently clarified two EMTALA issues
for its state survey agency directors.
 
The first memo, dated April 26, 2007,
[http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/PMSR/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=0&sortByDID=3&sortOrder=descending&itemID=CMS1198795&intNumPerPage=10]
states that all hospitals must be able to evaluate persons with emergencies, provide
initial treatment, and refer or transfer these individuals when appropriate, regardless
of whether the hospital has an ED. To be in compliance with the Medicare Conditions of
Participation (CoPs), a hospital cannot rely on 9-1-1 services to provide appraisal or
initial treatment of individuals in lieu of its own capability to do so. The guidance
does not apply to critical access hospitals.
 
The other memo, dated April 27, 2007,
[http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/PMSR/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=0&sortByDID=3&sortOrder=descending&itemID=CMS1198926&intNumPerPage=10]
relates to emergency transport services and the transfer/acceptance of patients. It
specifically addresses a July 13, 2006, Survey and Certification letter concerning
"parking" of individuals transported by (EMS) to hospitals.


Cyrus Shahpar & Brian Potts 
Managing Editors, CAL/AAEM News Service
University of California, Irvine

The CAL/AAEM Archives are available at: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/calaaem/



       
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