Indiana University Health Wins Lawsuit Over Emergency Transfer

An Indiana University health-care facility beat a lawsuit over the death of a patient it allegedly transferred without first stabilizing, because federal law authorized the transfer under the circumstances, the Seventh Circuit said.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act permits prestabilization transfers when doctors reasonably believe the medical benefits of the transfer outweigh the risks and they have provided the care within their capacity, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said.

No reasonable jury could have concluded that Indiana University Health Bloomington Inc. failed to satisfy those requirements in the case of Jody Martindale, the Seventh ...