When working with your patients in a medical practice, it is important to understand what their insurance coverage is and how it works. This is especially true for Medicare patients.

Currently, 44 million Americans are enrolled in the Medicare program and enrollment is expected to rise to 79 million within 15 years. While only about 10% of beneficiaries rely solely on the Medicare program for health care coverage, it is important to understand what benefits are available for your patients, should they require coverage.

For patients using Medicare, there is a great deal of confusion between Part A, Part B, Part c and Part D of Medicare Coverage. This article will cover what is covered by Part A of Medicare.

What is covered by Part A of Medicare?

Medicare Part A is often described as ‘hospital insurance’. This term aims to distinguish it from medical insurance (Part B). However, the phrase is misleading. ‘Hospital insurance’ sounds as though Part A covers your entire bill if you’re admitted to a hospital, but it doesn’t work that way.

The services that patients receive from doctors, surgeons, or anesthetists while in the hospital are all billed separately, and are covered under Part B.

In fact, your patients may not even have to be hospitalized to get services under Part A because some are provided in settings outside the hospital or even in your own home.

Medicare Part A typically covers hospital stays, skilled nursing care, hospice, and home health-care services. Part A services may still require that a patient pay various deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.

It may be more accurate to think of Medicare Part A as coverage for nursing care. It essentially pays for the services of professional nurses when you’re admitted to a hospital or a skilled nursing facility (such as a nursing home or rehab center). The items covered by Medicare Part A include:

– A semiprivate room in the hospital or nursing facility, including meals provided directly by the hospital or nursing facility

– Other services provided directly by the hospital or nursing facility. This can include lab tests, prescription drugs, medical appliances and supplies, and rehabilitation therapy

– All services provided by a home health agency if you qualify for continuing care at home

– All services provided by a hospice program if you choose to stop treatment for a terminal illness

The vast majority of people in Medicare are eligible for Part A services without paying any premiums for it. That’s because Part A is essentially paid for in advance by the Medicare payroll taxes that you or your spouse contributed from every paycheck while working.

However there may be circumstances that require that a patient pay various deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.