Washington, DC (PRWEB) October 09, 2012
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) called on CMS to revise observation status rules in order to protect the financial security of Medicare beneficiaries. In a letter to CMS, NAELA requested immediate changes to ensure that older adults are not unfairly kept from being admitted into hospitals in order to save Medicare dollars.
Observation status refers to the classification of a patient in an acute care hospital as an outpatient, even though, just like an inpatient, the person is placed in a bed in the hospital, stays overnight, and receives medical care. Classification as an outpatient negatively impacts older Americans. Outpatient classification may make a patient ineligible for Medicare coverage of subsequent skilled nursing facility care because Medicare requires three days of inpatient status to qualify for Medicare coverage.
The use of this practice is of great concern to NAELA members as they often represent elderly clients whose hospital stays have been inappropriately classified as observation status. More than 10 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are placed on observation status for more than 48 hours.
All too often, NAELA members have found this practice to confront the elderly and people with disabilities at the time they most need Medicare to assist with hospital and nursing home care, stated NAELA President Gregory French, CELA, CAP.