Q&A: MOON delivery for outpatient to inpatient

Q. What is the organization’s responsibility with regard to the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) if a patient starts treatment as an outpatient but then is moved to inpatient status? Does the hospital still need to issue the MOON?
 

A. If the patient received 24 or more hours of observation and had not yet received the MOON at the time he or she was moved to inpatient status, the hospital must still deliver the MOON with notation of the date and time of presentation.

Editor’s note: This question was answered by Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHCQM, of R1 Physician Advisory Services in Chicago.

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