Observation Care Services include admission and discharge services.

Observation Care Services include admission and discharge services.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only for inpatient
• D. Only for discharge

Answer: (A)

Observation care is a short-term outpatient status used to determine whether a patient should be admitted as an inpatient. The entire process—from placing the patient in observation (admission to observation), through ongoing evaluation and management during the observation period, to the final disposition and discharge from observation—is encompassed within the observation care encounter. Because admission into observation and the eventual discharge from observation are integral parts of the same observation service, this statement is correct. It isn’t limited to inpatient care, nor is it only about discharge—both admission to observation and discharge from it are involved.

Observation care is a short-term outpatient status used to determine whether a patient should be admitted as an inpatient. The entire process—from placing the patient in observation (admission to observation), through ongoing evaluation and management during the observation period, to the final disposition and discharge from observation—is encompassed within the observation care encounter. Because admission into observation and the eventual discharge from observation are integral parts of the same observation service, this statement is correct. It isn’t limited to inpatient care, nor is it only about discharge—both admission to observation and discharge from it are involved.