In the annual update to Medicare reimbursement of acute care hospitals for outpatient care (July 8, 2015)[1] the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes proposed revisions to the “Two-Midnight Rule” and its … [Read more...] about Proposed Revisions to “Two-Midnight” Rule Provide Little, If Any, Relief for Medicare Beneficiaries Stuck in the Hospital in Observation Status
Search Results for: observation status
Observation Status: Virginia Requires Hospitals to Notify Patients of their Observation Status
Effective July 1, 2015, Virginia has become the fifth state to enact legislation requiring hospitals to inform patients when they are in Observation or other outpatient status, and the consequences of not being admitted as inpatients. Senate … [Read more...] about Observation Status: Virginia Requires Hospitals to Notify Patients of their Observation Status
Saga of an Inpatient Hospital Appeal: Notice and Use of Lifetime Reserve Days and Comments on Observation Status
This CMA Alert highlights a recent individual ALJ decision that sets out an important but often unrecognized beneficiary right to a written notice when he or she is about to use hospital “Lifetime Reserve Days.” A hospital’s … [Read more...] about Saga of an Inpatient Hospital Appeal: Notice and Use of Lifetime Reserve Days and Comments on Observation Status
Observation Status Update
Observation Status – hospital patients’ classification as outpatients, which makes them ineligible for Medicare Part A coverage of their subsequent stay in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) when they do not have “inpatient” … [Read more...] about Observation Status Update
Observation Status Bills Reintroduced in Both the House and the Senate (H.R. 1571/S. 843)
For the last several years, the Center has been trying to address the problem of Observation Status in the hospital, which can affect both what Medicare beneficiaries pay for hospital stays, and their coverage of subsequent care in a nursing … [Read more...] about Observation Status Bills Reintroduced in Both the House and the Senate (H.R. 1571/S. 843)
Observation Status and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
At its January 16, 2015 public meeting, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the government agency that advises Congress on Medicare payment policy, addressed observation status as part of its discussion of hospital short stay policy … [Read more...] about Observation Status and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
Appeals Court Allows Hospital Patients in “Observation Status” to Continue Court Case
Medicare patients considered hospital outpatients on Observation Status may be helped by a decision issued on January 22, 2015 by a federal appeals court. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided that … [Read more...] about Appeals Court Allows Hospital Patients in “Observation Status” to Continue Court Case
Observation Status: Hospitals May Begin Rebilling Medicare Patients Who Were Hospitalized After October 1, 2013
Medicare patients need to be aware that if they were hospitalized after October 1, 2013, hospitals may be contacting them about their bills. Final rules that were published in August 2013 and became effective October 1, 2013 created a new … [Read more...] about Observation Status: Hospitals May Begin Rebilling Medicare Patients Who Were Hospitalized After October 1, 2013
Observation Status: Mixed Messages from Federal Government as Beneficiaries Continue to be Hurt
The use of “Observation Status” – treating certain hospitalized Medicare patients as outpatients when their care is indistinguishable from that of formally admitted inpatients – continues to garner considerable public and … [Read more...] about Observation Status: Mixed Messages from Federal Government as Beneficiaries Continue to be Hurt
Observation Status – Notice and Appeal
Connecticut Passes Observation Notice Law On June 12, 2014, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed into law a requirement that, starting October 1, 2014, Connecticut hospitals give oral and written notice to patients placed on observation … [Read more...] about Observation Status – Notice and Appeal