The COBRA Patient Anti-Dumping Law: Part I--Requirements under the statute.

Abstract

Under the federal patient anti-dumping statute, physicians are required to treat a hospital's emergency patients, including women in labor, and must comply with detailed statutory provisions that govern when it is appropriate to transfer a patient to another facility. A thorough understanding of this law is necessary to minimize the risk of liability to the physician and the hospital. This article, the first of two parts, discusses the requirements under the statute. Part II, which will appear in a future issue, will discuss court interpretations of the statute and its impact on medical malpractice claims.