Medicare Rights
While you are a Medicare hospital patient, you have the right to receive all the hospital care necessary for the proper diagnosis and treatment of your illness or injury. According to federal law, your discharge date must be determined solely by your medical needs.
You have the right to be fully informed about decisions affecting your Medicare coverage, payment for your hospital stay and for any post-hospital services.
You have the right to request a review by a Peer Review Organization (PRO) of any written "Notice of Non-coverage" that you receive from the hospital stating that Medicare will no longer pay for your hospital care. PROs are groups of doctors who are paid by the federal government to review medical necessity appropriateness and quality of the hospital treatment furnished to Medicare patients.
If you think you are being asked to leave the hospital too soon, ask a hospital representative for a written notice of explanation immediately. This notice is called a "Notice of Non-coverage."