We have added a new page to our RESOURCES section of the website to list the current contact information for the CMS regional offices. For EMTALA information you usually ask for the “EMTALA person” or Standards and Enforcement. If you have received a notice from CMS you should contact the person referenced in the notice … Read more
One of the house-keeping errors that can get a hospital cited for EMTALA violations is the form elements of the list: CASE EXAMPLE: In this case, CMS did an on-call list review which revealed the on-call list for urology and cardiology did not contain the name of the physician on call each day. The lists … Read more
CMS citations are allegations and should not be considered as conclusive on the facts. Submission of a plan of correction is not an admission of wrong-doing. CMS cited a GA hospital for four separate EMTALA incidents where the allegations were: Based on interviewing and record review the hospital failed to ensure that the the on-call … Read more
You may have noticed that as the healthcare situation deteriorates we are seeing more physicians in Congressional races taking on the task of trying to straighten out the mess. Today, I received an update that Mark Plaster MD/JD has announced for the Congressional race for the Baltimore area. Mark is an emergency physician and publisher … Read more
When EMTALA site reviewers started pulling cases from the log to review, they found 5 of 33 entries were wrong and cited the hospital for EMTALA violations of tag A2405. Patient #2 was listed as “Left Without Being Seen” (LWOBS) but the medical record showed the patient was discharged home. Patient #3 was also listed … Read more
Patient #1 presented by ambulance and was triaged as “level 4” with complaints of left leg pain and pain behind the knee for several days. The pain was described as a sharp pain radiating from lower left leg to the thigh area. The PA ordered a D-dimer test for possible blood clot. When the test … Read more
OSHA’s “It’s the Law” poster is free and can be downloaded online. Employers must display the poster in a conspicuous place where workers can see it. Previous versions of the poster do not need to be replaced. For more information, see the news release.To help ensure that workers have a voice in their workplaces and … Read more
A hospital was cited for failure to provide stabilizing treatment when an on-call Orthopedist declined to come in and ordered a hand case transferred. The receiving hospital questioned that transfer as a “lateral” move that could have been handled by the general Orthopedist on-call rather than triggering a 130 mile transfer. CMS concluded the transfer … Read more