Short answer: Yes. For hospital stays on or after February 14, 2025, a patient admitted as an inpatient whose status is changed to outpatient observation has the right to a fast appeal to the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO), and should receive the Medicare Change of Status Notice (CMS-10868) before leaving.
The notice explains that the stay will be billed to Part B instead of Part A, that the hospital will bill the full outpatient cost if the person has no Part B, that Medicare will not pay for a skilled nursing facility stay afterward, and how to contact the BFCC-QIO. If the notice is not given, ask for it.
It is best to file while still in the hospital, but the person can appeal after discharge by following the notice. The QIO gets the records, lets the hospital explain, and generally decides about 2 days after the appeal is filed.
If the QIO decides the status should not have changed, the person owes the Part A inpatient deductible and may qualify for a covered SNF stay within 30 days of discharge (if other requirements are met). If it upholds the change, Part B cost sharing applies and the SNF stay will not be covered.