Hospital  discharge  planning is a process that determines what kind of care you will need after you leave the hospital. This discharge plans can help prevent future readmissions , and they should make your move from the hospital to your home or another facility as safe as possible. Medicare  requires hospitals to screen  inpatients  and provide discharge p lanning for those who need it. But this  is only mandatory for hospital inpatients, if you are an  outpatient, possibly  on  observation status,   Medicare will not require screening or discharge planning. However, there are some states that provide outpatients with rights to discharge planning services. For more information on discharge planning in your state, please contact your  State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) . Your  discharge plan  should include information about where you will be discharged to, the types of care you need, and who will provi...

What are my Medicare rights? No matter how you get your Medicare, you have certain rights and protections. All people with Medicare have the right to: Be treated with dignity and respect at all times Be protected from discrimination Have personal and health information kept private Get information in a format and language they understand from Medicare, health care providers, Medicare plans, and Medicare contractors Have questions about Medicare answered Have access to doctors, other health care providers, specialists, and hospitals for medically necessary services Learn about their treatment choices in clear language that they can understand, and participate in treatment decisions Get Medicare-covered services in emergency Get a decision about health care payment, coverage of services, or prescription drug coverage Request a review (appeal) of certain decisions about health care payment, coverage of services, or prescription drug coverage File complaints (sometimes...