Under EMTALA, how is an 'emergency' defined?

• A. An objective set of criteria defined by the hospital.
• B. An emergency medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) as interpreted by the patient.
• C. It is never based on patient perception.
• D. Only emergencies that require hospitalization.

Answer: (B)

Under EMTALA, an emergency hinges on the patient’s presentation of acute symptoms of sufficient severity, including severe pain, as perceived by the patient. This means the hospital must treat what the patient reports as serious and determine, with a medical screening exam, whether an emergency medical condition exists and whether stabilization is needed. The emphasis is on the patient’s experience of the severity of symptoms, not just a fixed checklist created by the hospital.

This definition is not about rigid objective criteria defined by a hospital, nor is it limited to cases where hospitalization is required. It also recognizes that a condition can constitute an emergency even if the patient is not admitted, as the obligation to screen and stabilize applies whenever an emergency medical condition may exist based on the presenting symptoms.