Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog: Emergency call, post-EMTALA

Tuesday, May 13, 20083

Emergency call, post-EMTALA

Image this scenario happening on a daily basis, in thousands of EDs nationwide.

Anonymous

It puzzles me why EM docs support EMTALA. I can empathize with their plight, but I really think EMTALA makes things worse.

They have a patient in front of them, they want the patient cared for. Quite reasonable of course. I think they are LESS likely to get specialist backup, or primary care backup for that matter, precisely BECAUSE of EMTALA.

1:41 PM
Anonymous

Who says ER docs support EMTALA??? We didn't write it. We are just living by it. It is a government unfunded mandate. In essence, it is our defacto national health plan administered without pay by ER docs, hospitals, and docs willing to take call. On-call docs can often get a stipend out of it from the hospital, most of the ER docs can't get a stipend for the uninsured from the hospital because we are more expendible in the eyes of hospital administration.

5:24 PM
Anonymous

Maybe I misunderstand, just sort of had that impression that it was generally favored in that profession, and formally so in the professional organizations.

8:33 PM