Sharp Rise In Medicare Enrollees Being Held In Hospitals For Observation Raises Concerns About Causes And Consequences

When it is not clear that an ill patient needs to be hospitalized, he or she may be placed "under observation" in a hospital for further evaluation and short-term treatment. These hospital observation services, often a kind of halfway point between emergency department treatment and full inpatient admission, have become a hotly debated policy issue and subject of lawsuits. Using Medicare enrollment and claims data nationwide, we documented a...