According to the AARP<\/a>\u2019s Public Policy Institute, the use of \u201cobservation status\u201d has increased significantly in hospitals across the nation. Under observation status, an emergency room holds a patient for observation before he or she is sent home or admitted.<\/p>\n The difference in status can be very important for seniors because it directly impacts out-of-pocket expenses. Moreover, this status has sometimes been used as a substitute for admission in recent years \u2014 raising troubling quality-of-care issues.<\/p>\n \u201cRapid Growth in Medicare<\/a> Hospital Observation Services: What’s Going On?” found an alarming spike (of more than 100 percent) in Medicare claims for observation status over a nine-year period beginning in 2001. The duration of a stay in observation has also increased significantly. Many Medicare patients are not aware of the extra expenses they face if they stay in a hospital for \u201cobservation.\u201d<\/p>\n Medicare also mandates a three-day inpatient stay before care is covered in a skilled nursing (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" According to the AARP\u2019s Public Policy Institute, the use of \u201cobservation status\u201d has increased significantly in hospitals across the nation. Under observation status, an emergency room holds a patient for observation before he or she is sent home or admitted.…<\/span><\/p>\n