Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rural Hospitals Turning Away Women In Labor, Violating Federal Law
In several cases, women suffered serious complications after being denied treatment, or were misdiagnosed at facilities that lacked specialists in obstetrics.
Under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, every U.S. hospital with an emergency room has a duty to treat patients who arrive in labor, caring for them at least until the delivery of the placenta after a baby is born. But 30 years after EMTALA was passed, hospitals — particularly those in rural areas without obstetrics units — are still turning away women in labor. (Lasson, 3/3)
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