As part of the annual update to inpatient hospital reimbursement under the Medicare program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is again considering observation status. This time CMS is proposing "a time-based … [Read more...] about CMS Addresses Observation Status Again… And Again, No Help for Beneficiaries
Search Results for: observation
End Observation Status!
$30,000 – that’s Mrs. Kauffman’s nursing home bill for care she received following a three-day hospitalization. Although she was in the hospital for three full days, Mrs. Kauffman was never admitted as an inpatient. Instead, she was … [Read more...] about End Observation Status!
CMS’ Proposed Rules on Observation Status Would Not Help Beneficiaries
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued proposed rules and an interim CMS Ruling to allow hospitals to bill Medicare Part B after a Part A claim is denied. 78 Fed. Reg. 16,632 (March 18, 2013).[1] These … [Read more...] about CMS’ Proposed Rules on Observation Status Would Not Help Beneficiaries
Bills Concerning Hospital Observation Status Reintroduced
Increasingly, hospital patients throughout the country are learning they are considered outpatients, on "observation status," not inpatients, although they have stayed many days and nights and been treated IN a hospital. The Center has … [Read more...] about Bills Concerning Hospital Observation Status Reintroduced
Déjà Vu All Over Again: CMS Decides (Again) Not to Decide About Observation Status
On July 30, 2012, as part of proposed rulemaking on the outpatient prospective payment system, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) asked for public comment on potential policy options related to "observation … [Read more...] about Déjà Vu All Over Again: CMS Decides (Again) Not to Decide About Observation Status
CMS Invites Public Comment on Observation Status
August 9, 2012 Note to Alert readers: This Posted version contains additional information beyond that in the emailed version. As part of a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on July 30, 2012, the Centers for Medicare … [Read more...] about CMS Invites Public Comment on Observation Status
More Concerns About Observation Status: Hospitals Join the Chorus
Hospital case managers and the hospital industry have joined the chorus of those opposed to observation status – a designation that renders a beneficiary ineligible for Medicare-covered skilled nursing facility (SNF) care. This Alert … [Read more...] about More Concerns About Observation Status: Hospitals Join the Chorus
Brown University Confirms Observation Continues to Replace Hospital Admission Status
Since 2008, the Center for Medicare Advocacy (the Center) has been reporting that an increasing number of Medicare beneficiaries are being placed in acute care hospital beds for multiple days – receiving medical and nursing care, diagnostic tests, … [Read more...] about Brown University Confirms Observation Continues to Replace Hospital Admission Status
Preserving Access to Necessary Care: Ending Hospital “Observation Status”
The Center for Medicare Advocacy has heard increasingly about beneficiaries throughout the country whose entire stays in a hospital, including stays as long as 14 days, are classified by the hospital as outpatient observation. In some … [Read more...] about Preserving Access to Necessary Care: Ending Hospital “Observation Status”
Suit Seeks to End Hospital “Observation Status”
A lawsuit was filed on November 3, 2011 by the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and co-counsel National Senior Citizens Law Center, seeking to end the use of hospital "Observation Status" (Bagnall v. Sebelius (No. 3:11-cv-01703, D. … [Read more...] about Suit Seeks to End Hospital “Observation Status”