Inpatient Billing Cheat Sheet

An inpatient bill is a financial statement for services provided to a patient who stays in a hospital or healthcare facility for 24 hours or more. It includes all charges related to the patient's treatment, accommodations, and any medical procedures performed during the stay.

Inpatient billing applies to services provided when a patient is admitted to a hospital for overnight care or longer. In contrast, outpatient billing is for services where the patient does not require an overnight stay. The billing processes differ in complexity and the types of services billed.

Inpatient billing typically utilizes ICD (International Classification of Diseases) for diagnoses and CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes for documenting medical procedures performed during the patient's stay. These codes help ensure the billing is accurate and corresponds to the medical services provided.