Enforcement of two-midnight rule further delayed

Due to a proposed change to the two-midnight rule, CMS has further delayed enforcement of the policy through the end of the year. An enforcement delay passed by Congress was set to expire on September 30.

Under the two-midnight rule, inpatient admissions are payable under Medicare if they span two midnights. Stays less than two midnights would be billed as outpatient observation care.  A rule change proposed last month would allow physicians to exercise more judgment on a case-by-case basis when admitting patients for shorter stays.

Source: Modern Healthcare