CMS letter causes ED concerns about 'parking' EMS patients.
Familiarize yourself with the fine points of anti-dumping laws concerning patient presentation. Be sure your policies and procedures are up to date and your documentation processes are thorough. A patient is considered to have "presented" once EMS requests that you provide treatment. Try not to ask EMS to continue monitoring patients for more than 15 minutes after they arrive at the hospital. Make sure your documentation reflects the hospital status and that you tried to get patients off stretchers as soon as possible.
D000552:Ambulances; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D004282:Documentation; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States