[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2471 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2471

     To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to modify the 
    requirement under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act 
        (EMTALA) with respect to medical screening examinations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 16, 2003

  Mr. Nunes introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to modify the 
    requirement under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act 
        (EMTALA) with respect to medical screening examinations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Room Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF REQUIRMENT FOR MEDICAL SCREENING EXAMINATIONS 
              FOR PATIENTS NOT REQUESTING EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT 
              SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1867(a) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395dd(a)) is amended--
            (1) by designating all that follows ``(a) Medical Screening 
        Requirement.--'' as paragraph (1) with the heading ``In 
        general.--'';
            (2) by aligning such paragraph with the paragraph added by 
        paragraph (3); and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) Exception for certain cases.--The requirement for an 
        appropriate medical screening examination under paragraph (1) 
        shall not apply in the case of an individual who comes to the 
        emergency department and does not request examination or 
        treatment for an emergency medical condition (such as a request 
        solely for prescription refills, blood pressure screening, and 
        non-emergency laboratory and diagnostic tests or requests 
        treatment or assistance in another department or setting in the 
        hospital or at a facility on the hospital campus).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to terminations of participation initiated on or after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.
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