Observation stay may be good for patients’ safety, not for patients’ wallets
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
March 11, 2009
The practice of keeping those patients who are too sick to be discharged from the hospital but too healthy to warrant an inpatient status under an "observation stay" has cost many patients an unexpected amount of money, reports The Chicago Tribune. Because Medicare and private insurers consider patients classified as an observation stay not sick enough to need inpatient care, they will not cover the expenses for the subsequent care delivered at that time. This has taken many patients by surprise, especially those who were unaware that they were anything other than a normal inpatient.
For medical and patient safety, placing a patient under observation stay may be necessary. Some patients who are not sick enough to need immediate care but may need more testing to be sure they can be discharged soon are placed under observation stay. Also, patients with mild trauma, dizziness, and asthma attacks might be placed on observation stay.
