Medicare Enrollees Leaving Hospitals Against Medical Advice

Hospitals indicate on a claim that a patient left against medical advice (AMA) with a specific patient discharge status code-"07," which stands for "left against medical advice or discontinued care." According to some academic researchers, the AMA designation indicates a higher risk that a patient experienced poor quality health care. The researchers also note that hospital stays coded with the AMA designation may be associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality percentage rates. In addition, the researchers note that historically medically underserved groups of patients are more likely than other groups to receive the AMA designation. The percentage rates that hospitals have been designating that Medicare enrollees left AMA have increased over the past three decades. This data brief will analyze the percentage rates and outcomes for enrollees that hospitals designate as left AMA as well as provide CMS and other stakeholders with information that can be used to address health disparities and improve enrollee outcomes.

Announced or Revised	Agency	Title	Component	Report Number(s)	Expected Issue Date (FY)
June 2024	Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services	Medicare Enrollees Leaving Hospitals Against Medical Advice	Office of Audit Services	W-00-24-35915	2025