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For recipients of Medicare benefits, the cost of a hospital stay and any subsequent stay in a nursing facility may depend in large part on whether or not the patient was \u201cadmitted\u201d to the hospital as an inpatient, or is on observation status as an outpatient. The distinction is crucial, and vexing for patients and doctors alike.<\/p>\n
After a patient has spent the night in a hospital bed, been given a gown and wrist bracelet, been seen by doctors and nurses, and been fed and washed by aides, he might reasonably be perplexed by the idea that there is any question about whether he has been \u201cadmitted\u201d to the hospital. Yet many patients do find, after the fact, that their entire hospital stay has been on \u201cobservation\u201d status and they were never formally admitted. This can greatly increase the out-of-pocket expense for the patient, and can affect Medicare coverage for any nursing (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For recipients of Medicare benefits, the cost of a hospital stay and any subsequent stay in a nursing facility may depend in large part on whether or not the patient was \u201cadmitted\u201d to the hospital as an inpatient, or is…<\/span><\/p>\n