This guide sets out the law governing hospital care from arrival at the emergency department through discharge and the bill. It begins with the federal emergency screening and stabilization obligations, their elements, the transfer requirements, and the enforcement mechanisms including the private action and its limitations period. Separate parts address informed consent and refusal, capacity determination, and surrogate authority; the conditions of participation that govern patient rights, restraint and seclusion, grievances, and discharge planning; and the appeal that permits a patient to remain in the hospital pending review of a discharge decision. Later parts cover admission versus observation status and its financial consequences, nondiscrimination and language access, surprise billing protections and financial assistance obligations, records access, and the special situations that recur in emergency and inpatient settings.