Recently, Bob clued me into a new (to me) medblog, ER Stories. It's written by (and largely for) folks in the field of Emergency Medicine, and offers them a chance to vent to and educate others.
The item which caught Bob's eye, and which he thought I'd find compelling, concerns the difficulty hospitals have when needing (wanting?) to transfer difficult patients. Because of EMTALA, hospitals can't just ship patients out simply because they lack the funds (or, of course, insurance) to pay for their care. So in order to make a "legitimate" transfer, hospital staff has to affirmatively demonstrate that they lack the necessary resources and facilities to care for the patient.
Apparently, this is easier said than done.
But getting such approval can be done, which then poses another challenge: exactly how will the physical transfer itself be accomplished? If the patient is in such poor shape that the hospital must cry "Uncle!," it follows that the patient will need a medical professional along for the ride itself.
Who gets to go?
If you're curious (and you should be: it could happen to you), then be sure to read the whole thing.
Posts
