On Sunday morning, Elih came to the Emergency Department (“ED”)…
Question Answered step-by-step On Sunday morning, Elih came to the Emergency Department (“ED”)… On Sunday morning, Elih came to the Emergency Department (“ED”) complaining of abdominal pains, nausea, and headaches. Elih was an otherwise healthy 26 year old, so the ED team checked Elih for food poisoning and influenza. Since Elih was four (4) months pregnant, however, they also confirmed that the fetus was not showing any signs of distress. After five hours, Elih was back to her old self, and feeling much better. Due to a massive outbreak of H1N1 influenza virus, the hospital beds were all full, so the ED team discharged Elih with instructions to return if the symptoms should arise again. By Monday night, Elih was having the same symptoms as before, and returned to the ED. The ED team again checked both Elih and the fetus. This time, Elih was experiencing contractions, and the ED team determined that the fetus’ heart rate and oxygen levels decreased with every contraction. Elih said she was in pain, and the ED team told her she needed to have an emergency caesarian-section to deliver the baby. Within minutes, the obstetrics team was in the ED, and anesthesia was administered as Elih groggily nodded her agreement. An hour later, Elih awoke in a recovery area where a nurse told her that the baby had been born extremely premature (pre-26 weeks), and was in the neonatal intensive care unit (“NICU”). Two weeks after the incident, Elih is feeling better, but the baby has respiratory problems, infections, cerebral hemorrhaging, and will be in the NICU indefinitely. Pediatricians agree that the baby’s conditions are all due to prematurity and not some other developmental issue. Elih trained as a hair stylist, but she has been out of work for the past three months. Faced with mounting hospital bills (NICU care costs approximately $10,000 a day) and still recovering, Elih is trying to find a new employer that has very good health insurance benefits. Unfortunately, all of the local hair salons are small businesses (less than 15 employees) and most do not offer any insurance benefits. Elih is beginning to panic and is losing sleep with worry for herself and her baby.Part A: Did the hospital violate EMTALA after the physicians initially discharged Elih on Sunday? Describe the main components of EMTALA and how each component was/was not met in this scenario.Part B: If the baby’s condition deteriorates further, who should make the decision about whether to stop treatment? Why?Part C: Will the Affordable Care Act help Elih obtain insurance? Would she be eligible for Medicaid or some other form of government assistance? Explain your answer. Health Science Science Nursing Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)
