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[EXTERNAL LINK] - Reintroduced observation status bill could take edge off Medicare 3-day rule
The bipartisan Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2023, introduced on Aug. 4, is aimed at fixing what its sponsors called an “arbitrary Medicare policy that excludes coverage of skilled nursing care for certain patients, resulting in exorbitant and unexpected out-of-pocket costs.”
Medicare rules require three admitted nights for coverage of a skilled nursing facility stay, but hospitals label some patients as under observation, an outpatient status whose coding effectively negates time accrued toward the three nights, and interferes with coverage for post-acute stays.
The bipartisan Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2023, introduced on Aug. 4, is aimed at fixing what its sponsors called an “arbitrary Medicare policy that excludes coverage of skilled nursing care for certain patients, resulting in exorbitant and unexpected out-of-pocket costs.”
Medicare rules require three admitted nights for coverage of a skilled nursing facility stay, but hospitals label some patients as under observation, an outpatient status whose coding effectively negates time accrued toward the three nights, and interferes with coverage for post-acute stays.