[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/blog\/can-hospitals-turn-away-patients\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/blog\/can-hospitals-turn-away-patients\/","headline":"Can Hospitals Turn Away Patients","name":"Can Hospitals Turn Away Patients","description":"Both public and private hospitals are prohibited by law from denying a patient care in an emergency. The Emergency Medical and Treatment Labor Act (EMTLA) passed by Congress in 1986 forbids the denial of care to indigent or uninsured patients based on a lack of ability to pay. Patient Protection under the Emergency Medical and...","datePublished":"2014-10-29","dateModified":"2024-05-23","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/blog\/author\/rizklaw\/#Person","name":"Rizk Law","url":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/blog\/author\/rizklaw\/","identifier":9,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10e23ce5e6c4dadb4589cd8edf2c3f59ac356a6e876c3656917777913d9c3bc1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10e23ce5e6c4dadb4589cd8edf2c3f59ac356a6e876c3656917777913d9c3bc1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Rizk Law","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/rizk-law-logo-footer.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/rizk-law-logo-footer.jpg","width":278,"height":65}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Richard-Rizk-headshot.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Richard-Rizk-headshot.jpg","width":383,"height":427},"url":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/blog\/can-hospitals-turn-away-patients\/","about":["Personal Injury"],"wordCount":248,"articleBody":"Both public and private hospitals are prohibited by law from denying a patient care in an emergency. The Emergency Medical and Treatment Labor Act (EMTLA) passed by Congress in 1986 forbids the denial of care to indigent or uninsured patients based on a lack of ability to pay.Patient Protection under the Emergency Medical and Treatment Labor ActIn addition to prohibiting the denial of emergency patient care, the EMTLA also prohibits unnecessary transfers of emergency patients to other hospitals while care is being administered and prohibits the suspension of care while ability to pay is being checked once care is initiated, provisions that prevent dumping patients who cannot pay.A schedule of stiff fines is included in the EMTLA to discourage lying about the severity of a patient\u2019s condition. Both hospitals and individual doctors can be held liable under the EMTLA, doubling potential financial punishment.Hospitals Found in Violation of the EMTLABetween January and September 2014, the following nine US hospitals were found guilty of violating the EMTLA:Claiborne County Medical Center, MississippiGregory Bohn, M.D., on-call surgeon at Trinity Bettendorf Hospital, IowaMercy Hospital, FloridaOlive View \u2013 UCLA Medical Center \u2013 a county hospital in Sylmar, CaliforniaSaint Joseph\u2019s Medical Center, New YorkSpringfield Hospital, VermontSt. Vincent Jennings Hospital, IndianaTrinity Medical Center d\/b\/a Trinity Bettendorf, IowaWinter Haven Hospital, FloridaEach of these cases was resolved through a settlement agreement with the settling party contesting the allegations and denying any liability."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can Hospitals Turn Away Patients","item":"https:\/\/www.rizklaw.com\/blog\/can-hospitals-turn-away-patients\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]