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Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON)

Published on 

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

 | RAC Information 
 | FAQ 

Q:

I know that the new MOON is available for use. What I don’t know is when are we required to use the new form?


A:

The new CMS 10611-MOON has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and has an expiration date of 12/31/2022. The following update was posted to the CMS MOON webpage on April 6, 2020:

“Hospitals are strongly encouraged to begin using the new Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) as soon as possible, but no later than May 1, 2020.

 

Also, keep in mind the following guidance from CMS regarding the delivery of Beneficiary Notices during the COVID-19 public health emergency:

If you are treating a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, CMS encourages the provider community to be diligent and safe while issuing the following beneficiary notices to beneficiaries receiving institutional care:

  • Important Message from Medicare (IM)_CMS-10065
  • Detailed Notices of Discharge (DND)_CMS-10066
  • Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC)_CMS-10123
  • Detailed Explanation of Non-Coverage (DENC)_CMS-10124
  • Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON)_CMS-10611
  • Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (ABN)_CMS-R-131
  • Skilled Nursing Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (SNFABN)_CMS-10055
  • Hospital Issued Notices of Non-Coverage (HINN)

In light of concerns related to COVID-19, current notice delivery instructions provide flexibilities for delivering notices to beneficiaries in isolation. These procedures include:

  • Hard copies of notices may be dropped off with a beneficiary by any hospital worker able to enter a room safely. A contact phone number should be provided for a beneficiary to ask questions about the notice, if the individual delivering the notice is unable to do so. If a hard copy of the notice cannot be dropped off, notices to beneficiaries may also be delivered via email, if a beneficiary has access in the isolation room. The notices should be annotated with the circumstances of the delivery, including the person delivering the notice, and when and to where the email was sent.
  • Notice delivery may be made via telephone or secure email to beneficiary representatives who are offsite. The notices should be annotated with the circumstances of the delivery, including the person delivering the notice via telephone, and the time of the call, or when and to where the email was sent.

Resource: MLN Matters SE20011 at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/se20011.pdf

Article Author: Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS
Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS, is the Manager of Clinical Analytics at Medical Management Plus, Inc. Beth has over twenty-five years of experience in healthcare including eleven years in Case Management at a large multi-facility health system. In her current position, Beth is a principle writer for MMP’s Wednesday@One weekly e-newsletter, an active member of our HIPAA Compliance Committee, MMP’s Education Department Program Director and co-developer of MMP’s proprietary Compliance Protection Assessment Tool.

This material was compiled to share information.  MMP, Inc. is not offering legal advice. Every reasonable effort has been taken to ensure the information is accurate and useful.