Terminology can get in the way of skilled nursing facility (SNF) claims when hospitals misclassify inpatient care as outpatient care, according to Rep. Joe Courtney.
Courtney, D-Conn., organized a briefing on the issue last week in Washington in an effort to round up support for H.R. 1543, the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2011.
Medicare pays for patient care in an SNF only if the patient first had a stay in an acute care hospital.