Q&A: Acute rehabilitiation interrupted stay compliance

Q: When an acute rehabilitation hospital transfers a patient at 11:45 p.m. to an acute hospital emergency department, which sends the patient back to acute rehab the next morning, who is responsible for the bill? 

A: For long-term acute care hospitals (LTACH), the LTACH would be responsible for the costs at the acute care hospital, but not for inpatient rehabilitation facilities. 

Note: This question can be found in the billing and claims section on the NAHRI Forums where you can find answers to questions on a variety of topics from billing and claims to compliance to reimbursement. This question was answered by Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHCQM, vice president of R1 RCM in the physician advisory services division in Chicago.