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Is it legal for a ER doctor or nurses to refuse medical service to a patient without explanation??
Anonymous4 views3 answers
I went to ER because I fell and hurting my already broken hip.. A lady comes in asking me what was wrong so I tell her, she said hang on I will be rite back she never returned but another lady walks in telling me I can go... I sat in there for 4 hours just to get refused!!!
Yes an ER doctor may suggest to a patient to leave
ER stands for emergency room and is to treat medical emergencies. When faced with a non emergency I imagine the doctor can tell the person to go. There is nothing illegal about that
Christopher Edward EzoldHealth Care LawyerBala Cynwyd, PA ·
Before I respond to your inquiry, I must state that we have not spoken, I have not reviewed the relevant documents and facts, and I do not represent you. Therefore, my discussion below is not a legal opinion, but is informational only. Finally, my discussion applies only to issues to which Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey or Federal law applies, unless otherwise specified.
That being said, it is unclear from your question if you were refused medical attention, and to what extent you needed medical attention, if any. If you needed medical attention at the ER and were refused, you might have a medical malpractice claim, but I don't see such a claim in the facts in your question.
/Christopher E. Ezold/
Federal law (EMTALA) requires hospitals with emergency rooms to provide all patients who enter the emergency department to be provided a medical screening to determine if they have a life threatening condition or are in active labor. If you have a life threatening medical condition or are in active labor the hospital has an obligation to provide care necessary to stabilize you. Since it does not sound like the situation you describe in your questions was a life threatening condition, it does not not appear the hospital was required to provide any treatment. Obviously it was poor business for a hospital to treat you the way the did, but based on information provided it does not sound like they did anything that would rise to to the level of violation of EMTALA, or be the basis of a lawsuit..