Hospital Admission or Observation?

When you go to the hospital and have to stay overnight, you assume you’ve been admitted to the hospital.

But, depending on your health care needs, you may only be “under observation” as an outpatient.

Make this difference in ‘admission’ status clear for your elder or senior family member as it makes a difference when it is time for payment to be made by your carrier.

Thanks to a complex system of rules and regulations for hospitals, providers, private insurers and Medicare/Medicaid patients, you can be in the hospital for several days – but classified as an “observation” outpatient. Which means you’re not officially “admitted.”

The rules mandate that hospitals cannot officially “admit” you as an inpatient unless you meet the medical criteria for admission. If, in the doctor’s view, you don’t meet the medical criteria for admission, but a brief hospital stay is still warranted to monitor your condition – you’re placed on “observation status.” This can even apply if you’re in the hospital for routine joint replacement with private insurance, for example, and are scheduled for discharge after one night. You’re in the hospital, but you’re not technically admitted.

Read more on this subject in a recent article
Deborah Bakalich, Certified Senior Advisor®
Deborah Bakalich, Certified Senior Advisor®
Owner, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA®) & Assisted Living Placement Specialist - Senior Care Lifestyles, LLC provides compassion, guidance and recommendations to families faced with transitioning a loved one into Assisted Living, Dementia/Alzheimer’s Care, Skilled Nursing, Temporary Respite Care or a Continuous Care Retirement Community. Senior Care Lifestyles was founded in 2014 by Deborah Bakalich, a Certified Senior Advisor and graduate from both Towson University and Stevenson. Senior Care Lifestyles is uniquely positioned as a local (not National) Maryland based placement firm familiar with Maryland senior care facilities and in-state financial assistance programs for senior residents. They meet personally with each family to understand the seniors care needs including medical, personal lifestyle preferences, budget, religion and desired geographic location. They pride themselves in locally guiding and educating families through the entire maze of senior living options available and will schedule tours on behalf of the family and accompany the family on visits of communities. They are passionate and committed to finding the perfect match to call home and stays with the family throughout the entire process, every step of the way, until a decision is made, and the senior is safely moved into their new home. Senior Care Lifestyles can also provide the family with trustworthy, vetted, and reputable experts to assist with the transition for organizing, packing, moving, sale of real estate, estate planning, legal services, and determining eligibility for State, Federal and Veterans Benefits to assist with care costs. Deborah is a proud member of the Maryland Senior Resource Network (MSRN) where she has served as Vice President on the Board of Directors. She is a member of the Alzheimer’s Organization, Society of Certified Senior Advisors, Mid-Atlantic Network Group and a member of the Business Opportunity Network (BON).

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