Hospital and rehab patients are often dismayed by huge medical bills resulting from being hospitalized not as an inpatient, but instead on “observation status.” Three inpatient days are required for Medicare to cover many expenses and an “observation” only day does not count toward the three day requirement. This new law should help empower hospital patients to advocate for correct status and reduce out of pocket medical costs. To learn more, see news article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/03/09/kaiser-law-hospitals-now-must-tell-medicare-patients-when-care-observation-only/98967470/