Legal rights of indigent patients when seeking emergency care?

a friend of mine got bit by what possibly could be a spider and has develped abscess. He was treated by the ER doc 2 days ago. They drained his wound and gave him oral antibiotics. Now 2 days later, he came back with more lesions on other parts of his body and was filled with pus. He returned to the ER but was told no further labs will be done because he didn't have insurance and to go home. Both a nurse and a pharmacist had looked at the lesions and thought IV antibiotics were needed. IS the ER doc right by refusing care due to lack of insurance?

If it is not life threatening, they can refuse to treat your friend. I would suggest that he go to the free clinic nearest him in the morning. Should he require IV antibiotics, the staff Dr. at the clinic will send him to the county hospital and then he can be admitted.

First of all does your friend live in the USA???
If so you can not be turned away from an emergency room because of the inability to pay. It is against the law.
If this truly happended to him he can report the Hospital to that states Department of Health.

Tell him to go to your local county hospital. I work in the pharmacy for the county hospital in Arizona. County hospitals will pay for your friend to get treated. That's where people go when they have no insurance, because the county will pay for it. Good luck!

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