Under EMTALA, which statement is true?

• A. EMTALA only applies to private hospitals.
• B. Hospitals must assess, provide treatment and stabilize a patient before determining ability to pay.
• C. Hospitals may delay treatment until payment is verified.
• D. EMTALA prohibits transfers for specialized care.

Answer: (B)

Under EMTALA, the obligation is to treat the emergency patient based on medical need, not on payment status. Hospitals must perform a medical screening to determine if there is an emergency condition, provide any necessary stabilizing treatment, and do so before considering the patient's ability to pay. This protects patients from being denied or delayed care because they can’t immediately pay.

That makes the statement about assessing, treating, and stabilizing before determining ability to pay the correct one. The other options don’t fit: EMTALA applies to any hospital with an emergency department that participates in Medicare, not only private hospitals; delaying treatment to verify payment is explicitly prohibited; and while transfers are allowed when appropriate, EMTALA does not prohibit transfers for specialized care—the patient must be stabilized first, but transfer can occur when medically appropriate.