QUESTION:
We had an incident at one of our physician offices a couple of miles from the hospital’s main campus. Someone mentioned there may be some EMTALA concerns. Since the issue didn’t occur in the hospital’s emergency room, there is no cause for concern regarding EMTALA, correct?

OUR ANSWER FROM HORTYSPRINGER ATTORNEY HALA MOUZAFFAR:
EMTALA may or may not be a concern here – depending on how the physician office operates. EMTALA requires that if an individual comes to a hospital’s emergency department “and a request is made on the individual’s behalf for examination or treatment for a medical condition, the hospital must provide for an appropriate medical screening examination within the capability of the hospital’s emergency department.”

However, just because the incident did not occur in the hospital’s emergency room does not automatically mean that EMTALA was not triggered. EMTALA responsibilities also extend to individuals who present anywhere on a hospital’s campus – not just in the emergency department – and request to be examined or treated for an emergency medical condition or if a prudent person would believe that the individual is suffering from an emergency medical condition. The hospital’s campus includes spaces like the parking lot, sidewalk, driveway, and hospital departments, including any building owned by and within 250 yards of the hospital.

Even if the physician office is several miles away, EMTALA might still apply. EMTALA can also apply to off-site departments or facilities that are deemed to be “dedicated emergency departments” of a hospital.  This would require two things.  First, the office in question would have to be operated as an “outpatient department of the hospital” (i.e., a provider-based entity under 42 C.F.R. §413.65) AND either holds itself out to the public as a place that provides care for emergency medical conditions on an urgent basis without requiring a previously scheduled appointment; OR provided at least one-third of all of its visits for the treatment of emergency medical conditions on an urgent basis without requiring a previously scheduled appointment.

So while EMTALA is likely not an issue of concern for events that took place in this physician office several miles away, remember that events that occur outside of a hospital’s emergency department may also trigger EMTALA obligations.

If you have a quick question about this, e-mail Hala Mouzaffar at hmouzaffar@hortyspringer.com.