You call your ENT on call, and he admits he has just had three glasses of wine and will not be available for about 6 hours.

You call your ENT on call, and he admits he has just had three glasses of wine and will not be available for about 6 hours. You electronically send him the record that Health Hospital B would send with the patient. The ENT physician advises that the ear looks salvageable and could easily be sutured in any ED. The ED physician at Health Hospital B is very nervous about the possibility of an EMTALA violation.

1. If you decide to reject the patient, is this a violation of EMTALA? Explain.
2. What decision will you make as the administrator? Explain.
3. Based on this scenario, what could be implemented to prevent this type of situation from occurring in the future?
4. Under what scenario would the Hospital A physician be concerned about an EMTALA situation?