Laws and Regulations - Hospitals

Acute care hospitals

Alcoholism and chemical dependency hospitals

Psychiatric hospitals

Federal regulations

Acute Care and Psychiatric Hospitals may also be Medicare certified under special conditions for coverage.

CMS State Operations Manual:

Code of Federal Regulations:

The federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) applies to all Medicare certified and critical access hospitals. This act requires that any hospital must respond to a person's emergent medical condition by determining the nature of the condition. If an urgent condition exists, it must be treated to the best of the facility's ability regardless of the patient's ability to pay. Patients may then be transferred as appropriate after stabilization of the condition.

See Regulation 42 CFR 489.24 (PDF) for more information.