The Two-Midnight RuleĪ general rule that determines inpatient designation is known colloquially as the “two-midnight rule”. You may be able to appeal other features of your medical care after the fact, but this isn’t true with MOON forms. It’s important to note that there is no way to appeal the outpatient designation that comes with a MOON form. If you receive a MOON form, you should expect to be covered under Part B, not Part A. This will explain the conditions of your stay, and let you know in writing that you will be receiving outpatient care that requires a lengthier stay, not inpatient care. If you are staying at an emergency room or hospital setting for over 24 hours but are not receiving inpatient care, then the hospital will be required to give you a Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice, or MOON form. There are some occasions where you may have to stay overnight and the care you receive still won’t count as outpatient care if it is due to incidental reasons that don’t directly relate to the length of time it takes you to receive your medical care. This is usually associated with care received at doctor’s offices, but emergency room care is often outpatient care as well, since you may be released the same day. Outpatient care refers to medical services that don’t require you to stay the night. If you stay in the emergency room just a bit later than midnight in order for some anesthesia to wear off, for example, then your stay will likely not be counted as inpatient care, and may not be covered by Part A. Inpatient care involves receiving medical care overnight and specifically requires the length of your stay to be directly related to your medical care. Understanding the difference between inpatient and outpatient care is important because this often determines which part of Medicare will cover your medical fees. What Is the Difference Between Inpatient and Outpatient Care? Although most hospital stays will be covered by Part A, it will depend on the circumstances. Part A also covers skilled nursing facility care, hospice care, some in-home health care, and nursing home care. If you have a hospital stay that doesn't involve receiving inpatient care, it will not be covered by Medicare Part A. Part A of Medicare covers inpatient care in a hospital. We’ll get into the details here, so you can know what to expect before your emergency room visit. So, what Part A covers is a little bit more complicated. Inpatient care includes hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and hospice care. Part A technically covers inpatient hospital services, not all hospital services generally. Although emergency rooms are part of hospitals physically, emergency room care is not considered to be inpatient care under most circumstances. Although Medicare Part A is often referred to as “hospital insurance”, it has a more complicated relationship with emergency room care.
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