ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Improvements in current policies discussed at advisory meeting
 
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) may be putting undue strains on your practice. To help you, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced March 14 the appointment of a new technical advisory group (TAG) that will review regulations affecting hospital and physician responsibilities under the act.
 
The TAG, which was required by the Medicare Modernization Act, should assist in developing "rules that will protect individual rights while minimizing unnecessary burdens on healthcare providers," CMS says.
 
EMTALA requires hospitals with emergency departments to provide an appropriate medical screening when a person comes to the hospital and requests treatment for a medical condition. If a physician detects an emergency medical condition, the hospital must either stabilize the individual or transfer him to another facility.
 
To read about the meeting in the Federal Register, see www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont05.html.