A patient without health insurance comes into the emergency department limping and dripping blood from a head wound. Which of the following should be done first with this patient?
1. Determine triage level and examine and treat as needed.
2. Have the patient sign in and provide method of payment for services.
3. Tell the patient that he will have to go to the emergency room at a hospital that treats people who do not have health insurance.
4. Tell the patient that there are no orthopedic doctors available to help him and tell him that the hospital in the next town will be better able to help him.
Determine triage level and examine and treat as needed.
Rationale: According to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, no patient can be turned away from care for financial reasons. The patient does not have health insurance; however, the patient should be triaged, examined, and treated. The patient is in obvious distress, and the hospital cannot delay appropriate medical screening or treatment to inquire about the patient's ability to pay for services. The patient should not be told to go to another hospital nor should the patient be told that because the hospital does not have the capabilities to provide the care that he needs, such as an orthopedic health care provider, he will have to go to a hospital in another town.
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