This article request was to compare and contrast the differences between advanced beneficiary notices (ABN's) and hospital issued notices of noncoverage (HINN's). Below are excerpts from the article.
...An ABN, or advanced beneficiary notice, contains a list of all the items or services that Medicare is not responsible to pay for. It also includes an estimate of what the costs will be to the beneficiary for the items and services that will not be paid for by Medicare and an explanation as to why Medicare may not pay for those services...Interestingly, if a healthcare facility, such as a hospital, provides a patient with an ABN document that is outdated, that patient is not liable for any of the charges for services or procedures. This in turn places the healthcare facility at risk for fully covering the service...Patients who have received an ABN ultimately have the option not to sign the document...
...Hospital issued notices of noncoverage, or HINN's, are the documents that are given to Medicare patients that detail which inpatient services may not be covered. This document can be given to the patient at any time during their admission if the hospital determines that something may not be covered by Medicare. Reasoning often includes medical necessity, the service will not be provided in the most appropriate setting, or the service is deemed to be custodial in nature. The HINN also tells a patient when the hospital or facility believes that their inpatient stay will no longer be covered by Medicare. If the HINN documentation is not provided to a patient during their inpatient admission, the hospital or facility cannot bill the patient for any of the services they received during that time...
2020
