CMS conducted a review of this facility and found 6 out of 20 medical records reviewed failed to meet EMTALA standards for appropriate transfer (Tag A2409). Patient #3 was diagnosed with a heart attack and required transfer “to a higher level of care”. There is no evidence of physician to physician contact to accept the … Read more
CMS onsite investigations often go for the “sure things” when the primary reason they visited turns out not to be a violation. In this case, it was the easiest violation to avoid, but one of the most common compliance efforts that gets overlooked – EMTALA signs. Based on observations of 4 areas in the emergency … Read more
Patient 6 months pregnant presented to ED with right back pain radiating down right leg such that she claims she was barely able to walk. The PA on duty evaluated the patient, contacted the patient’s PCP office, sent patient to the PCP’s office without evaluation of elements of pain, treatment of pain, or OB exam … Read more
A worried pregnancy patient presented to the registration desk of the ED asking to see a doctor because she was not noting fetal movement. The registration clerk reportedly asked a number of questions about the situation and then called the OB unit. A nurse in the OB unit reportedly spoke with the patient, and told … Read more
Federal district court judge DJ Hellman has thrown out EMTALA allegations against Milford Regional Medical Center in Massachusetts on pretrial motions for summary judgment filed by the hospital. Case facts: Plaintiff alleges that on October 19, 2009 she presented to the hospital via ambulance complaining of severe pain in her abdomen and shooting pains in … Read more
In a Colorado hospital citation, CMS cited the practice of listing on-call by group names and answering service numbers. The on-call list of physicians and specialists for the time period in question were [sic] reviewed and revealed the on-call list for urology and cardiology did not contain the name of the physician on call each … Read more
FILE: 11-006 DATE: June 30, 2011 STATE: California TAG: A2404 TITLE: On-Call Physicians ALLEGED VIOLATION: Based on interview and record review, the facility failed to provide care within the facility’s specialized capabilities to Patient 1 when Physician A, who was on call for gynecological (GYN) care, refused to respond to the emergency room (ER) to … Read more
FILE: 11-005 DATE: February 17, 2011 STATE: California TAG: A2411 TITLE: Recipient Hospital Responsibilities ALLEGED VIOLATION: Based on interview and record review, the facility did not accept an appropriate transfer of a patient with an emergency medical condition even though the facility had the specialized capabilities, which included an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) physician on … Read more
QUESTION: Radiology evaluations for ultrasound are not read except during “office hours” and the ED physician has to rely on only the tech summary at night. Is that an EMTALA issue? ANSWER: CMS generally requires that all services that are available routinely in the hospital must be made available on-call to the emergency department within … Read more