Is your on-call system falling apart? Act now, or risk EMTALA violations.
According to a new report from the General Accounting Office, increased liability risks stemming from EMTALA regulations have made specialists reluctant to take call for the ED. If a consultant can't be reached or refuses to report to the ED, staff should not hesitate to call the chief of staff or administrator. Your policy should address obligations of on-call specialists for acceptance and refusal of transfer patients. To ensure adequate coverage, fee-for-service arrangements may be more effective than stipends.
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