In a
decision issued today, Judge Michael P. Shea of the U.S. District Court in Hartford, Connecticut found that certain Medicare beneficiaries who are placed on “observation status” at hospitals, rather than being admitted as “inpatients,” have the right to appeal to Medicare.
The case, Alexander v. Azar, is a nationwide class action case filed by the Center for Medicare Advocacy that went to trial in August 2019. The ruling finds that as a matter of constitutional due process, patients who are initially admitted as inpatients by a physician, but whose status is later changed to observation by their hospital, have the right to appeal to Medicare and argue for coverage as hospital inpatients.
Click here to read the full article.