It’s a confusing situation for patients and a financially necessary one for hospitals: If a hospital cannot decide whether a patient is appropriate for inpatient admission, the patient can be kept up ...

September 28, 2012 — Maximizing the potential use of dedicated hospital observation units could save billions of dollars in healthcare resources annually, according to results from a study published ...

Research published in Health Affairs suggests increased use of hospital observation units could help save $3.1 billion in healthcare costs each year. A hospital observation unit is a dedicated space ...

Using observation units in hospitals to provide care to certain patients can be more efficient than admitting them to the hospital and can result in shorter lengths-of-stay and lower costs. However, ...

A Senate bill introduced Wednesday would count days spent under ‘observation status’ in a hospital toward Medicare’s three-day qualifying stay requirement. The Improving Access to Medicare Coverage ...

CHICAGO -- Using a special care team and dedicated space can help reduce the amount of time patients spend in the observation ward, experts said here. Diannette Figueroa, clinical performance process ...

Cook County Health has opened an 11-bed observation unit at Provident Hospital to provide more appropriate care for patients who arrive at the South Side hospital's emergency department. Patients who ...

I have original Medicare with a supplement, and in October, I was taken by ambulance to the emergency room for heart issues. I was surprised when I signed a hospital form stating that I was "under ...

If you are on traditional Medicare, either alone or with a Medicare Supplement plan or on Medicare Advantage and are taken to the hospital, one important distinction in describing your status can make ...