Right now, Medicare (the government health insurance program for seniors and some disabled people) sometimes refuses to pay for certain hospital services if they decide those services can only be done while a patient stays overnight in the hospital. This bill stops Medicare from making that decision based solely on whether a service requires an overnight stay. In other words, if a hospital wants to offer a particular service as an outpatient procedure (where patients go home the same day) instead of requiring an overnight stay, Medicare can't automatically reject it just because the service could technically be done as an inpatient service. The bill gives hospitals and doctors more flexibility in how they deliver care and gives patients more options for where and how they receive treatment. It essentially says Medicare has to evaluate each service on its own merits rather than automatically categorizing it as inpatient-only.

Empowering Patient Choice of Medical Care Act

Spartz, Victoria

Empowering Patient Choice of Medical Care Act This bill prohibits the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services from refusing to designate a service as a covered hospital outpatient service under Medicare based solely on its determination that the service can only be furnished in an inpatient setting.