Form CMS-R-193 Important Message from Medicare

Department of Health & Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
OMB Approval No. 0938-0692

Patient Name:
Patient ID Number:
Physician:

An Important Message From Medicare About Your Rights
As A Hospital Inpatient, You Have The Right To:
• Receive Medicare covered services. This includes medically necessary hospital services and services you
may need after you are discharged, if ordered by your doctor. You have a right to know about these
services, who will pay for them, and where you can get them.
• Be involved in any decisions about your hospital stay, and know who will pay for it.
• Report any concerns you have about the quality of care you receive to the Quality Improvement
Organization (QIO) listed here:
Name of QIO
Telephone Number of QIO

Your Medicare Discharge Rights
Planning For Your Discharge: During your hospital stay, the hospital staff will be working with you to
prepare for your safe discharge and arrange for services you may need after you leave the hospital. When you
no longer need inpatient hospital care, your doctor or the hospital staff will inform you of your planned
discharge date.
If you think you are being discharged too soon:
• You can talk to the hospital staff, your doctor and your managed care plan (if you belong to one) about
your concerns.
• You also have the right to an appeal, that is, a review of your case by a Quality Improvement
Organization (QIO). The QIO is an outside reviewer hired by Medicare to look at your case to decide
whether you are ready to leave the hospital.
◘

If you want to appeal, you must contact the QIO no later than your planned discharge date
and before you leave the hospital.

◘

If you do this, you will not have to pay for the services you receive during the appeal (except for
charges like copays and deductibles).

• If you do not appeal, but decide to stay in the hospital past your planned discharge date, you may have to
pay for any services you receive after that date.
• Step by step instructions for calling the QIO and filing an appeal are on page 2.
To speak with someone at the hospital about this notice, call

.

Please sign and date here to show you received this notice and understand your rights.
Signature of Patient or Representative
Form CMS-R-193 (approved 07/10)

Date/Time

Steps To Appeal Your Discharge
• Step 1: You must contact the QIO no later than your planned discharge date and before you leave the
hospital. If you do this, you will not have to pay for the services you receive during the appeal (except
for charges like copays and deductibles).
◘

Here is the contact information for the QIO:
Name of QIO (in bold)
Telephone Number of QIO

◘

You can file a request for an appeal any day of the week. Once you speak to someone or leave a
message, your appeal has begun.

◘

Ask the hospital if you need help contacting the QIO.

◘

The name of this hospital is :
Hospital Name

Provider ID Number

• Step 2: You will receive a detailed notice from the hospital or your Medicare Advantage or other
Medicare managed care plan (if you belong to one) that explains the reasons they think you are ready to
be discharged.
• Step 3: The QIO will ask for your opinion. You or your representative need to be available to speak
with the QIO, if requested. You or your representative may give the QIO a written statement, but you
are not required to do so.
• Step 4: The QIO will review your medical records and other important information about your case.
• Step 5: The QIO will notify you of its decision within 1 day after it receives all necessary information.
◘

If the QIO finds that you are not ready to be discharged, Medicare will continue to cover your
hospital services.

◘

If the QIO finds you are ready to be discharged, Medicare will continue to cover your services
until noon of the day after the QIO notifies you of its decision.

If You Miss The Deadline To Appeal, You Have Other Appeal Rights:
• You can still ask the QIO or your plan (if you belong to one) for a review of your case:
◘

If you have Original Medicare: Call the QIO listed above.

◘

If you belong to a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare managed care plan: Call your plan.

• If you stay in the hospital, the hospital may charge you for any services you receive after your planned
discharge date.
For more information, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or TTY: 1-877-486-2048.
Additional Information:

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.
The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0938- 0692. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15
minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information
collection. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: CMS, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Attn: PRA Reports Clearance Officer, Mail Stop C4-26-05, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.

Notice Instructions: The Important Message From Medicare
Completing The Notice
Page 1 of the Important Message from Medicare
A. Header
Hospitals must display “Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services” and the OMB number.
The following blanks must be completed by the hospital. Information inserted by hospitals in the blank
spaces on the IM may be typed or legibly hand-written in 12-point font or the equivalent. Hospitals may
also use a patient label that includes the following information:
Patient Name: Fill in the patient’s full name.
Patient ID number: Fill in an ID number that identifies this patient. This number should not be, nor
should it contain, the social security number.
Physician: Fill in the name of the patient’s physician.
B. Body of the Notice
Bullet number 3 – Report any concerns you have about the quality of care you receive to the
Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) listed here
.
Hospitals may preprint or otherwise insert the name and telephone number (including TTY) of the QIO.
To speak with someone at the hospital about this notice call: Fill in a telephone number at the
hospital for the patient or representative to call with questions about the notice. Preferably, a contact
name should also be included.
Patient or Representative Signature: Have the patient or representative sign the notice to indicate that
he or she has received it and understands its contents.
Date/Time: Have the patient or representative place the date and time that he or she signed the notice.

Page 2 of the Important Message from Medicare
First sub-bullet – Insert name and telephone number of QIO in bold: Insert name and telephone
number (including TTY), in bold, of the Quality Improvement Organization that performs reviews for
the hospital.
Second sub-bullet – The name of this hospital is: Insert/preprint the name of the hospital, including
the Medicare provider ID number (not the telephone number).
Additional Information: Hospitals may use this section for additional documentation, including, for
example, obtaining beneficiary initials, date, and time to document delivery of the follow-up copy of the
IM, or documentation of refusals.