http://managingnonprofits.org/2012/08/17/more-on-the-new-wage-theft-prevention-act/ Information and Ideas for nonprofit managers, directors and board members Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:22:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://managingnonprofits.org/2012/08/17/more-on-the-new-wage-theft-prevention-act/comment-page-1/#comment-4374 Harriett Stwart Fri, 17 Aug 2012 21:12:10 +0000 http://managingnonprofits.org/?p=1084#comment-4374 Medicare is at fault here. The 3 day hospital requirement has always been there. However, someone at Medicare got the brilliant idea to think that an observation day in a hospital is like not really being in a hospital. The first time I saw this, many years ago, I was shocked. Medicare beneficiaries now had hospitals controlling their benefits after they left the hospital by how they coded their stay. If you were in the hospital for three days but the first day was coded as observation, then you didn't meet the three day stay requirement, even though you had been in the hospital three days. I don't even think a new law is needed, but rather Medicare needs to be told by Congress to not change the law by their own interpretations. They are not elected to do that. They are to administer the benefits as described by law. Medicare is at fault here. The 3 day hospital requirement has always been there. However, someone at Medicare got the brilliant idea to think that an observation day in a hospital is like not really being in a hospital. The first time I saw this, many years ago, I was shocked. Medicare beneficiaries now had hospitals controlling their benefits after they left the hospital by how they coded their stay. If you were in the hospital for three days but the first day was coded as observation, then you didn’t meet the three day stay requirement, even though you had been in the hospital three days. I don’t even think a new law is needed, but rather Medicare needs to be told by Congress to not change the law by their own interpretations. They are not elected to do that. They are to administer the benefits as described by law.

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