Definitions for "EMTALA"
the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act – federal legislation enacted in 1986 to assure that all Americans would have access to emergency medical care, regardless of their ability to pay.
Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. An act pertaining to emergency medical situations. EMTALA requires hospitals to provide emergency treatment to individuals, regardless of insurance status and ability to pay.
Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. is a statute which governs when and how a patient may be (1) refused treatment or (2) transferred from one hospital to another when he is in an unstable medical condition.  EMTALA was passed as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA), and it is sometimes referred to as "the COBRA law." 30