Statute that was signed into law on December 27, 2001, as Public Law 107-105. It provides a 1-year extension to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)–covered entities to meet electronic and code set transaction requirements. It allows the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to exclude providers from Medicare if they are not compliant with the HIPAA electronic and code set transaction requirements and to prohibit Medicare payment of paper claims received after October 16, 2003, except under certain situations.

Subpoenas issued in the course of administrative proceedings or investigations seeking the disclosure of medical records or other patient health information such as hearings before disciplinary boards to revoke professional licenses, proceedings before state agencies to determine the propriety of facility license citations, and disputes before administrative law judges about proper Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement.

Registration of a patient either as an inpatient or outpatient for receiving medical services in a health care facility. The patient is given a register number. An admission can be either a direct admission, a direct admission from the emergency department, or transfer-in from another medical facility. See also inpatient admission, outpatient admission, and newborn admission.

Daily hospital report that shows patients gained and lost in census, changes in status, and numerical strengths of transient patients and boarders.

Method of assuring that only those patients who need hospital care are admitted. Certification can be granted before admission (preadmission) or shortly after (concurrent). Length of stay for the patient’s diagnosed problem is usually assigned on admission under a certification program.

The month, day, and year the patient is admitted to the hospital as an inpatient or as an outpatient for services or tests. Admission date is inserted in Field 12 of the Uniform Bill (UB-04) inpatient hospital billing claim form. The electronic version requires an eight-character date listing year, month, and day: 20XX0328. For an admission notice for hospice care for a Medicare patient, enter the effective date of election of hospice benefits.

Computer software program used by hospitals to keep track of patients from the time of admission to time of discharge or transfer to another facility.

Registration of a patient either as an inpatient or outpatient for receiving medical services in a health care facility. Admissions staff give the patient a registration number and obtain demographic, insurance, and medical information, which is entered into the computer system.

Review a patient’s medical case for appropriateness and necessity of admissions.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield phrase; a formal notice sent by a host plan to the home plan that one of their members has been admitted into a plan hospital in the host plan’s area and a request for membership information. See also approval wire.