By Chuck Buck
CMS says MOON errors will not affect billing/payment. EDITORS NOTE: This article is an update from last week's article Erroneous Guidance by NGS Could Pose Problems for Hospitals. Observation hours will not be removed from claims if hospitals fail to accurately complete and deliver to patients the Medicare Outpatient Observation…
January 9, 2020
By Chuck Buck
CMS Releases New MOON, Important Message from Medicare, and Detailed Notice of Discharge
Same old New MOON, but potential problems appear in two of the other three new forms. All federal forms require periodic review and reapproval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The approval is indicated on the form by a unique number and an expiration date. The Centers for…
May 2, 2019
By Ronald Hirsch, MD
Determining the Proper Patient Status in the ED
Assigning status to likely terminal patients. I received a great question last week and thought I’d share it with you, our readers. This case management manager wanted to know how to determine status for a patient who came into the ED and was deemed unlikely to live past 24 hours.…
June 28, 2018
By Ronald Hirsch, MD
How Many Hours Are in a Day?
In the Medicare world, 24 hours often does not equal one day. The headline seems to ask a simple question, but in the Medicare compliance and billing world, it’s not. Keeping days and hours clear is crucial. Let’s take a deep dive into that topic, but be prepared for a…
May 2, 2017
By Chuck Buck
Misconceptions Continue to Shroud the MOON
After more than 18 months of planning by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and a mad scramble by hospitals in response to last-minute guidance, the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) is now the law of the land, and has been since it became effective March 8, 2017.…
April 3, 2017
By Chuck Buck
MOON Walkers: Traversing the New Compliance Terrain
On the next edition of Monitor Mondays, Mary Beth Pace, vice president of care management at Trinity Health, will share how her health system is traversing the new compliance landscape of the MOON: the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice, which became effective March 8. What are they discovering, and how are…