What’s happening: Effective Feb. 14, providers are required to issue a Medicare Change of Status Notice (MCSN) to eligible patients who were admitted as hospital inpatients, but the hospital subsequently reclassified them as outpatients who are receiving observation services.
What else to know: This requirement only applies to patients with traditional Medicare as the primary payer. The form and its instructions are available to download.
To be eligible for the expedited determination process, reclassification must happen while the patient is still in the hospital and one of the following applies:
- The patient was physically located in the hospital for at least three days but was admitted as inpatient status for fewer than three days.
- The patient doesn’t have Medicare Part B.
MCSNs should include Livanta’s helpline (1 (888) 588-1123) and teletypewriter number (711) for CMS Region IX, which includes California.
Additional details are available on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) website, and questions can be sent directly to CMS at HospitalStatusQIOappeal@cms.hhs.gov.
