Diekema D S
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1995 Oct;149(10):1156-9. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1995.02170230110017.
In 1986, Congress passed legislation intended to prevent hospitals from "dumping" patients who were unable to pay for their care. This legislation was appended to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). The EMTALA imposes two sets of duties on all hospitals that receive Medicare funds. Since 98% of hospitals in the United States participate in the Medicare program, EMTALA applies to nearly all hospitals in the United States. In short, hospitals with an emergency department must provide an appropriate screening examination to any patient who requests treatment. The purpose of the medical screening examination is to determine whether an "emergency medical condition" exists. If an emergency medical condition is discovered, the hospital must either provide treatment sufficient to stabilize the patient's condition or transfer the patient to another medical facility in an acceptable fashion.
1986年，国会通过立法，旨在防止医院“抛弃”无力支付医疗费用的患者。该立法作为《紧急医疗救治与积极分娩法案》（EMTALA）被附加到《综合预算协调法案》中。EMTALA对所有接受医疗保险资金的医院规定了两套职责。由于美国98%的医院参与了医疗保险计划，EMTALA适用于美国几乎所有的医院。简而言之，设有急诊科的医院必须对任何请求治疗的患者进行适当的筛查检查。医疗筛查检查的目的是确定是否存在“紧急医疗状况”。如果发现紧急医疗状况，医院必须提供足以稳定患者病情的治疗，或以可接受的方式将患者转至另一家医疗机构。
