tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2001 Issue 8

EMTALAs Importance

In the past, many hospitals attempted to screen out non-emergent patients and refer them back to their private physician, says John Turner, MD, PhD, medical director of documentation and coding compliance at Team Health in Knoxville, Tenn. This led to abuse, and eventually it resulted in the federal government enacting legislation to prevent the inappropriate transfer or discharge of patients. This legislation is commonly known as EMTALA or COBRA. Turner explains that by this act, all patients presenting to the hospital and requesting medical evaluations must be seen without regard to their insurance status or ability to pay...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert.

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.