Corporate Compliance

Defining an inpatient

Compliance Monitor, January 6, 2006

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A: A patient is considered an inpatient if he or she is formally admitted as an inpatient with the expectation that he or she will remain at least overnight and occupy a bed.

This status applies even when it later develops that the patient is discharged or transferred to another hospital and does not use a bed overnight. An inpatient is normally kept for 24 hours unless the patient dies or leaves against medical advice. The overarching intent should be to keep the patient, but in some case the patient's condition may permit discharge.

Source: Ready, Set, Comply, second edition, Compliance Games, Activities and Tools to Train Your Staff. Author, Brian W. Kozik. Published by , HCPro Inc.



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