emergency department treatment
Rate Your Emergency Department Experience
Similar to the reviews you can leave on online purchases and restaurants, here’s your chance to rate sickle cell treatment received in an emergency department by you or someone in your care. Positive, negative, and neutral feedback is welcome. Aggregated 1-5 star ratings will be shared publicly. (For example, think of Yelp or Amazon reviews.) We encourage you to complete the survey for each ER visit you experience.
Join the SCDAA & MedicAlert ED Pilot
The Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) has launched an exciting new pilot program with MedicAlert. Individuals with sickle cell can create a medical profile that includes their pain plan, which will be accessible to medical personnel during an emergency department visit. Participation involves completing an application and emergency room surveys. Learn more
Report Poor Emergency Room Care
Federal law entitles you to certain protections in an emergency room:
(From CMS.gov)
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An appropriate medical screening exam to check for an emergency medical condition, and if you have one,
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Treatment until your emergency medical condition is stabilized, or
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An appropriate transfer to another hospital if you need it
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The law that gives everyone in the U.S. these protections is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, also known as "EMTALA." This law helps prevent any hospital emergency department that receives Medicare funds (which includes most U.S. hospitals) from refusing to treat patients.
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Learn more
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Watch a video that explains EMTALA here.
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Learn how to file a complaint if you feel your rights under EMTALA have been violated here.
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Read the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) statement on EMTALA here.