US · guidance
CMS Pub. 100-02, ch. 3, § 20.1.2
Leave of Absence
A3-3103.3, A3-3135.3, HO-216.3, SNF-242.3
The day on which the patient began a leave of absence is treated as a day of discharge,
and is not counted as an inpatient day unless the patient returns to the facility by midnight
of the same day. The day the patient returns to the hospital or SNF from a leave of
absence is treated as a day of admission and is counted as an inpatient day if the patient is
present at midnight of that day.
Refer to the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 3, “Inpatient Hospital
Services,” or the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 6, “SNF Inpatient
Billing,” as appropriate, for reporting inpatient leave of absence on the Medicare claim.
History
(Rev. 1, 10-01-03)
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-25
- Edition
- iom-2026-08-25
- Content hash
f12a5a2e1f2cb6a2eacdd10aecf69d4073f80ab954410826219f701f5da846b2
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