EMTALA Essentials
The exam that must be provided to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists.
What is the Medical Screening Exam (MSE)
The planned or unplanned event when electronic systems are unavailable.
What is system downtime?
The two identifiers most commonly used to confirm a patient’s identity during registration.
What is patient name and date of birth.
The key characteristic of a good Patient Access script.
What is clear, calm, respectful communication that does not delay care?
The first thing to do when a patient becomes visibly upset at the registration desk.
What is remain calm and listen?
What does EMTALA stand for?
What is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act?
The first thing staff should do when the registration system goes down.
What is follow the downtime procedure and notify leadership or IT?
A patient arrives unconscious with no ID.
What is creating a DOE chart?
A patient asks, “How much is this going to cost me?” before being seen.
“Your care comes first. After you’re medically evaluated, we can help with billing questions.”
A phrase that acknowledges a patient’s frustration without agreeing or escalating.
What is “I can see this is frustrating, and I want to help”?
A patient leaving the ED before completion of the medical screening exam must have this clearly documented.
What is Left Without Being Seen (LWBS) or Against Medical Advice (AMA) documentation, depending on the situation?
The minimum amount of patient information needed to do your job.
What are three patient identifiers?
Registering a patient under a slightly different name spelling creates this problem in the system.
What is a duplicate medical record?
A patient refuses to sign a consent form but wants treatment.
“I’ll document that you declined to sign, and the care team will still evaluate you.”
Body language that helps reduce tension during a difficult interaction.
What is an open posture and non-threatening stance?
The staff role responsible for performing the medical screening exam under hospital policy.
Who is a Qualified Medical Person (QMP)?
The system goes down during a busy shift and patients continue arriving to the ED.
What is continuing registration on paper without delaying care?
The demographic field most often entered incorrectly that impacts insurance eligibility.
What is date of birth?
A patient becomes frustrated and says, “I’ve been waiting forever.”
“I understand the wait is frustrating. I’ll let the care team know you’re here and we appreciate your patience.”
The goal of de-escalation in Patient Access.
What is keeping everyone safe while moving the interaction forward?
The three EMTALA obligations every emergency department must meet.
What are Medical Screening, Stabilization, and Appropriate Transfer?
The most important principle to remember during downtime in the emergency department.
What is patient care and safety always come first?
A patient has multiple charts with different last names due to marriage.
What is merging duplicate records after confirming identity?
A patient threatens to leave if they have to wait any longer.
“I’d like to help. If you choose to leave, I’ll let the care team know, but we’d prefer you stay so you can be evaluated.”
A patient threatens staff verbally during registration.
What is prioritizing safety and escalating to leadership or security?