title: It's finally here. Special bulletin clarifies EMTALA regulations.
abstract: The Office of the Inspector General and the Health Care Financing Administration have published a special advisory bulletin warning that you must not delay medical screening exams or stabilization, even when managed care plans require prior authorization. Medicare and Medicaid managed care organizations were put on notice that the practice of requesting prior authorization is illegal under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and the Balanced Budget Act. You can ask about payment after stabilization has commenced. Only staff knowledgeable about EMTALA should answer financial questions from patients. Consistently long waits could be interpreted as a pattern of encouraging patients to leave without treatment.
mesh_terms: D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007318:Inservice Training; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008484:Medicaid; D006278:Medicare; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States