Inpatient Versus Observation Status

Pocket Guide for Admission

Status Decisions

 

By: Dr. Vivienne Martin, DHA, MSN/Ed.,BSN, RN

Inpatient versus Observation Status: Providers’ Pocket Guide for Admission Status Decisions
Inside of book

Inpatient Versus Observation Status

Pocket Guide for Admission Status Decisions

By: Dr. Vivienne Martin, DHA, MSN/Ed.,BSN, RN

Inpatient vs. Observation Status is a convenient, pocket-sized guide that equips admitting providers, utilization review specialists, and case managers to determine a patient’s admission status quickly, easily, and effectively. 

 

This pocket-sized guide contains tables and generally accepted guidelines equipping practitioners who admit patients to assign an admission status and document with confidence. Each topic is covered on a single page, with an accompanying chart on the facing page, allowing for quick decision-making of the patient’s admission status (inpatient versus observation). 

 

By matching clinical findings with criteria charts, you are able to quickly and easily determine if a patient is appropriate for inpatient or observation admission status. In addition, by providing tips for documentation you are able to write the correct admission orders, avoiding the headaches of time-consuming changes later, penalties, and/or loss of revenue.

 

Areas covered include:

  • Admission Orders and Statuses

  • Medical 

    • Cardiology

    • Pulmonology

    • Hematology/Oncology

    • Nephrology

    • Gastroenterology

    • Endocrinology

    • Immunology

    • Infectious Diseases

  • Surgical

  • Elective Surgeries

  • Perinatal

  • Pediatric

  • Denials

This pocket-sized guide is ideal for physicians, medical students, interns, residents, nurse practitioners (NP), physician assistants (PAs), dentists (DDS), utilization review nurses (UR), case managers (CM), and anyone else responsible for assigning the correct admission status.

About the Author

Dr. Vivienne M. Martin is a native of Jamaica and has been a registered nurse for over 25 years. She has health care experiences in various disciplines and has been employed as a utilization review nurse for over 9 years.

Vivienne did her basic nursing training at Excelsior Community College in Kingston, Jamaica. She completed a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. She then went on

to complete a Master of Science in Nursing with a minor in Healthcare Education and a Doctorate Degree in Health Administration, both at the University of Phoenix. Vivienne has completed doctoral academic work on customer satisfaction and published “Nurses’ Perceptions of Their Role in Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction.”

Contributor

Picture of Dr. Willie H. Smith, Jr.

Dr. Willie H. Smith, Jr.

Dr. Willie H. Smith, Jr., completed his undergraduate education at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

He earned his medical doctorate degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed his residency at Emory University School of Medicine, after which, he joined the Division of Hospital Medicine as a hospitalist at the Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM) campus.

He is currently the Associate Inpatient Medical Director of Information Services at EUHM and the Medical Director of Care Coordination. In these roles, Dr. Smith collaborates with other physicians, nurses, case managers, providers, and administrators on reaching length of stay objectives and hospital flow metrics.