Study: Physicians lack basic knowledge of EMTALA

Pediatric physicians at a children's hospital in Denver lack knowledge of basic requirements of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospitals participating in Medicare to treat emergency department patients regardless of their ability to pay, according to an article in the August issue of Pediatric Emergency Care. Twenty-four percent of survey respondents in the study reported that they had never heard of the law.

"The questionnaire specifically avoided arcane aspects of the law and unrealistic scenarios, focusing instead on common EMTALA situations," the authors reported. "The participants' responses revealed a striking lack of knowledge of the basic principles of the law."

The study authors presented surveys with 12 questions regarding EMTALA requirements to medical staff physicians at The Children's Hospital in Denver, with 123 respondents. No respondent answered all 12 questions correctly, and 13% of respondents answered all 12 questions incorrectly or indicated that they did not know the answer. The median score was 42%, with a range of 0% to 83%. Only 20% of respondents indicated that they had ever received any EMTALA training.

The findings are consistent with another study that found only 29% of physicians at an urban hospital had ever heard of EMTALA, the study authors reported.

To read the article, click here.