U.S. House Passes Bill Requiring Notification of Observation Status

​The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility (NOTICE) Act in a unanimous vote 395-0 vote, moving it to the Senate. In its current form, the bill would require hospitals to notify patients of their observation status within 36 hours of being designated as such or to notify them sooner if they are discharged before the 36 hours have passed. Observation status, and patients' awareness of their status, has long been an issue because it affects Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing or short-stay care; patients with fewer than three days of inpatient care time may not qualify for certain long-term care coverage.