Which act requires hospitals to provide the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) to outpatients receiving observation services?

The Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) is mandated by the NOTICE Act, which stands for Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility. This act was specifically designed to ensure that patients receiving outpatient observation services are informed about their status and the potential implications for their Medicare coverage.

Under this law, hospitals must provide the MOON to patients when they are placed under observation status for more than 24 hours. This notice helps clarify the differences between outpatient observation and inpatient admission, which is crucial for beneficiaries to understand their coverage and potential financial responsibilities.

The other acts listed, while significant in the context of healthcare regulations, do not specifically address the requirement for the MOON. The IMPACT Act focuses on improving healthcare quality and data sharing; HIPAA primarily addresses patient privacy and information security; and MACRA is centered around payment reforms in Medicare, particularly for physicians. None of these directly deal with the provision of the MOON to patients under observation services.