title: Don't ignore the two-midnight rule. It's still in effect.
abstract: A bill signed into law on April 1 directs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to postpone post-payment audits of the two-midnight rule until after March 31, 2015. In the meantime, CMS has implemented pre-payment "probe and educate" reviews to determine if hospitals are in compliance. The rule is still in effect, and hospitals have to meet its requirements. Legislation pending in Congress would direct CMS to develop criteria for short inpatient stays. Case managers need to make sure documentation is detailed and complete, that all admissions have a signed order by a physician, and that the physician estimates the length of the patient stay and includes a plan for care.
mesh_terms: D019090:Case Management; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D007345:Insurance Claim Review / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011057:Politics; D014481:United States