Update on HCFA's revised EMTALAguidelines
ED managers can expect revised EMTALA guidelines from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) by this spring. "Changes may be too strong a word, but there will be better clarifications and better definitions," reports Charlotte Yeh, MD, FACEP, chair of ACEP's section on government affairs and the chair of the EMTALA task force.
The task force was originally formed by HCFA in June 1996 to address concerns about the enforcement of EMTALA. Representatives from the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, and the American Association of Health Plans submitted recommendations to HCFA, and a final draft was completed.
The key areas that were revised involved clarification of definitions and the enforcement and review process. "We looked at the definition of a medical screening examination and stabilization, managed care requirements, and patient transfers when a hospital has multiple campuses," says Yeh. "We didn't look specifically at the issue of consultant response time, but it is an issue that is likely to need review at some point."
HCFA surveyors are scheduled to be trained in late March in the implementation of the new guidelines, and the revised guidelines are expected to be available shortly afterward.
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