DSW Showcase Student Presentation

In response to the prevalent practice of “patient dumping,” the improper transfer or discharge of emergency care patients by hospitals, policymakers enacted the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) and California’s Senate Bill 1152. These two unfunded mandates were developed to ensure patient access to emergency care services regardless of their ability to pay. However, in conceptualizing these laws, policymakers did not account for systemic barriers that could inhibit the effectiveness of the laws and the resulting adverse effects on emergency patient care, including hindering access to emergency services and threatening the financial viability of hospitals. Despite the substantial impact the current mandates have on emergency medical services, there remains a dearth of academic literature on the mandates’ effect on patient health outcomes. This shortage of existing literature and the detrimental effect these laws have had on disadvantaged groups stimulated this capstone project. As part of this capstone project, which explores the effect of patient anti-dumping mandates on the provision of emergency medical patient care services, a systematic literature review was developed to evaluate the current literature on the topic. A conceptual solution was also created that utilizes a synthesis of systems and conflict perspectives to bring attention to the flaws in conceptualizing these mandates. Finally, a practice application product includes a policy advocacy toolkit to advocate for amendments to the current mandates to improve their effectiveness in protecting emergency patients while reducing the adverse effects of the law’s shortcomings.