• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Discharge appeal rights: Are your systems in place?

Case Management Weekly, July 11, 2007

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Case Management Weekly!

CMS' "Important Message from Medicare and Notification of Hospital Discharge Appeal Rights" went into effect last week, but many hospitals are still unclear about the paperwork logistics.

The new CMS rule requires hospitals to issue inpatients two notices, one at admission and again at discharge, and to educate patients about their rights. Hospitals are also required to obtain a patient's signature acknowledging receipt of the notice and they must be able to demonstrate compliance.

Most organizations should now have some type of system in place to comply with CMS' requirement regarding patients' notification of discharge appeal rights, says Chris Stottlemyer, the director of patient accounting at Memorial Hospital in York, PA.

To make sure you have a reliable system in place and ensure compliance, Stottlemeyer says it's important for case management and other departments to ask themselves the following questions:

·        Who will distribute the notice upon admission?

·        Who will distribute the notice upon discharge?

·        How will you be able to demonstrate compliance?

At Memorial Hospital, leaders from multi-disciplinary departments met with the organization's hospital association to map out responsibilities.

Source: Case Management Monthly, August 2007

Other articles of interest:

 CMS clarifies transfer component of new discharge rule

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Case Management Weekly!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive