Iowa officials instated a new Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice that informs patients whether they are considered outpatient once they leave the hospitals' doors, according to Mitchell County Press News.
Here are five key points:
1. Kriss Cross, director of the Iowa Insurance Division's Senior Health Insurance Information Program, said patients often were surprised their overnight hospital stay was outpatient.
2. MOON informs patients if the services they received were outpatient no later than 36 hours after the point of service. The observation also delves into the overall costs and patients' coverage.
3. Services are deemed outpatient if they are emergency department services, observation services, outpatient surgery, lab tests, X-rays or any other hospital services. Additionally, patients will be outpatient if their physician failed to write an order to admit them as an inpatient.
4. Medicare Part B covers outpatient hospital services, but does not cover prescription and over-the-counter drugs the patient receives in an outpatient setting.
5. Outpatient stays do not quality for Medicare covered skilled nursing care post-discharge.