The Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) requirements went into effect February 20.The following information and resources will help hospitals ensure they are meeting the requirements correctly.

On August 6, 2015, Congress enacted the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act (NOTICE Act) which requires hospitals, including critical access hospitals (CAHs), to provide written and oral explanation to individuals who receive observation services as outpatients for more than 24 hours. The process for delivery of this notice, the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON), was addressed in rulemaking, and the resulting regulations are located at 42 CFR Part 489.20(y).

The MOON must be delivered to beneficiaries in Original Medicare (fee-for-service) and Medicare Advantage enrollees who receive observation services as outpatients for more than 24 hours....

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register that establishes national emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare and Medicaid providers and suppliers to ensure that they adequately plan for both natural and man-made disasters.

The proposed rule addresses emergency preparedness requirements that 17 provider and supplier types must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

This proposed rule could have a significant impact on hospitals. For example, the rule includes language that relates to the behavior of the new electronic health record (EHR) systems during a disaster or emergency, and a requirement that EHR systems be redundantly backed up both in region and out of region.

KHA Emergency Preparedness Director Richard Bartlett has prepared resources for hospitals to educate themselves regarding the proposed changes and to prepare in case the rule is approved. Visit http://www.kyha.com/proposed-rule-change-on-cop-related-to-emergency-preparedness/...