EMTALA in the Delivery Room

From Stephen Frew's Medlaw.com

Wisconsin Upholds EMTALA Duty In Delivery Room

A hospital was obligated under federal law to do a medical screening examination on an infant born there despite doctors' belief that he was so premature he had no chance to survive, the Wiscon state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, July 13, 2005.

Shannon Preston sued Meriter Hospital in Madison because doctors refused to treat her infant son, who was only 1 pounds when he was born 17 weeks premature in 1999. Doctors believed his lungs were so underdeveloped that he would not survive regardless of what they did.