turning down part B

[AngusMactavish]

1 minute ago, Bisbee Gal said:

Absolutely false. You are not an in-patient until you are admitted.  I speak from experience.

Old experience?

[Bisbee Gal]

https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11435.pdf

Are You a Hospital Inpatient or Outpatient? If You Have Medicare – Ask!
Revised May 2014
Did you know that even if you stay in a hospital overnight, you might still be considered an “outpatient?” Your hospital status (whether the hospital considers you an “inpatient” or “outpatient”) affects how much you pay for hospital services (like X-rays, drugs, and lab tests) and may also affect whether Medicare will cover care you get in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) following your hospital stay. • You’re an inpatient starting when you’re formally admitted to a hospital with a doctor’s order. The day before you’re discharged is your last inpatient day. • You’re an outpatient if you’re getting emergency department services, observation services, outpatient surgery, lab tests, X-rays, or any other hospital services, and the doctor hasn’t written an order to admit you to a hospital as an inpatient. In these cases, you’re an outpatient even if you spend the night at the hospital. Note: Observation services are hospital outpatient services given to help the doctor decide if the patient needs to be admitted as an inpatient or can be discharged. Observation services may be given in the emergency department or another area of the hospital. The decision for inpatient hospital admission is a complex medical decision based on your doctor’s judgment and your need for medically necessary hospital care. An inpatient admission is generally appropriate when you’re expected to need 2 or more midnights of medically necessary hospital care, but your doctor must order such admission and the hospital must formally admit you in order for you to become an inpatient.

[Bisbee Gal]

2 minutes ago, AngusMactavish said:

Old experience?

Been that way as long as I can remember.  Biggest change is that in the last 10 years, ERs tend to hold people in ER much longer before admitting, if they ever admit them.  My guess is that is cost-effective and/or profitable to the hospital and/or the ER sub-contractor (ERs are often contracted out by the hospital).