Observation Status: Financial Implications for Medicare Beneficiaries

By Keith D Lind, JD, MS, Claire M. Noel-Miller, MPA, PhD, AARP Public Policy Institute; Lan Zhao, Ph.D., Claudia Schur, Ph.D,

Center for Health Research & Policy

Social & Scientific Systems

AARP Public Policy Institute

Published April 14, 2015

This report by Keith D. Lind and Claire Noel-Miller, Senior Policy Advisors with AARP’s Public Policy Institute, and their coauthors, reveals that Medicare rules for observation status are having a notable impact on the cost of health care for many beneficiaries, and perhaps also on their decisions about whether or not to seek doctor recommended follow-up care in a skilled nursing facility.

Read the full report.

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