For a hospital to receive payment for an inpatient admission, there must be an inpatient admission order. However, it is often unclear when the order is written, who writes it, and when it can be canceled. What is clear is that changes in admission status can result in payment differences of tens of thousands of dollars – and that’s money that payers would rather keep. Muddying the waters further, the rules about who should be admitted as an inpatient are as ambiguous as the rules about when an inpatient admission begins, making the need to fully understand the formal inpatient admission order process paramount.

We’ve got the solution to all this confusion. Join our RACmonitor webcast, presented by Dr. Ronald Hirsch, and learn the when, where, and how of inpatient admission orders. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the inpatient admission order process, including when to get it, when it becomes effective, its impact on billing and payment, who can write it, how to cancel it, the effects on the beneficiary, and more. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of inpatient orders and guidelines for handling improper orders that you can implement immediately.

Why This Is Relevant:

Patients who receive hospital care as inpatient or outpatient receive the same care. But their admission status changes the payment to the hospital and the payment differential can be tens of thousands of dollars. For a hospital to be paid for an inpatient admission, there must be an inpatient admission order. But when that order is written, who writes it, and when it can be canceled is unclear, leaving hospitals vulnerable to payer scrutiny and denials.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the formal admission process.
• Discuss the effect of the inpatient order on beneficiary access and financial liability.
• Describe the ambiguity of the inpatient order on surgery.
• Formulate a process to establish intent to admit.
• Provide guidelines on handling improper admission orders.

Who Should Attend:

Staff in utilization review, case management, revenue integrity, revenue cycle, billing, and coding, as well as physician advisors.