Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized and posted its Medicare Outpatient Observation Notification (MOON) form. Hospitals are required to implement the form and new notification process on March 8, 2017. The new requirements are a result of legislation that requires hospitals to notify Medicare and Medicare Advantage enrollees orally and via the standardized form when a patient is placed in observation status rather than being admitted as an inpatient.
While the MOON form is now final, there are still open questions; CMS will provide additional guidance prior to the effective date. WSHA is preparing a comprehensive bulletin and webinar to provide more detail and allow hospitals to share best practices for implementation. (Andrew Busz, andrewb@wsha.org).
