Who gets sent from the emergency room and where, including people with HIV/AIDS
Official title: Differences in Emergency Department Transfers Despite the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)
Funded at Pennsylvania State University, the · NIH-11412422 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work compares how emergency room transfer timing and destinations differ for people, especially those with HIV/AIDS, low income, or from racial and ethnic minority groups.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State University, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (University Park, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $645,913 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MD017495-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11412422 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who received emergency department care in the U.S., especially those with HIV/AIDS, low socioeconomic status, or who belong to racial or ethnic minority groups and experienced a transfer decision.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not use emergency departments or whose care is entirely outpatient are unlikely to see direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
From your point of view, researchers will use emergency department records to compare how long people wait before being transferred, whether they are sent within the same hospital system or to safety-net hospitals, and whether these patterns differ for people with HIV/AIDS, low-income patients, and racial or ethnic minority groups. They will look at timing of transfers, the recipient hospital, and link those patterns to patient outcomes like length of stay and subsequent health results. The team will analyze large hospital datasets from U.S. emergency departments and adjust for how sick patients are and other factors. The aim is to spot patterns that could point to unequal access or opportunities to improve emergency care and transfer policies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help make transfer decisions fairer and improve access to the right specialty care for people with HIV/AIDS and other disadvantaged groups.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has found disparities in emergency transfers, but tying transfer timing and recipient hospital to patient outcomes across HIV/AIDS and disadvantaged groups is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Pennsylvania State University, the
University Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hsuan, Charleen — Pennsylvania State University, the
- Study coordinator: Hsuan, Charleen
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.