Determining whether a patient should be admitted into hospital care as an inpatient (for at least two midnights) or placed under a short-term observation stay is one of several UM focus areas with tremendous implications. Organizations with a clear understanding of this dichotomy can reduce preventable utilization, improve quality and fiscal performance, and ensure that more patients receive timely, appropriate care.

AAVBC’s Quick Reference Guide incorporates current clinical evidence as well as CMS-aligned decision-making guidelines to provide a holistic picture of long-term inpatient admissions and short-term observation stays. These guides provide clinicians and health providers with actionable criteria and documentation strategies to optimize this aspect of the healthcare ecosystem for cost savings without sacrificing care quality.

AAVBC’s Deep-Dive series offers a comprehensive, structured analysis of the inpatient admission and observation stay dichotomy — moving far beyond quick-reference essentials. These guides provide an integrated review of financial implications, decision frameworks, target conditions, risk stratifications, document requirements as well as billing and coding considerations. The Deep-Dives combine evidence-informed clinical guidance with practical operational tools to support a deeper understanding of the inpatient admission and observation stay dichotomy, and provide care teams with the necessary strategies to thrive within a value-based framework.