42 CFR §424.103
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
Medicare pays for emergency services furnished to a beneficiary by a nonparticipating hospital or under arrangements made by such a hospital if the conditions of this section are met.
- (a)General requirements.
- (1)The services are of the type that Medicare would pay for if they were furnished by a participating hospital.
- (2)The hospital has in effect an election to claim payment for all emergency services furnished in a calendar year in accordance with § 424.104.
- (3)The need for emergency services arose while the beneficiary was not an inpatient in a hospital.
- (4)In the case of inpatient hospital services, the services are furnished during a period in which the beneficiary could not be safely discharged or transferred to a participating hospital or other institution.
- (5)The determination that the hospital was the most accessible hospital available and equipped to furnish the services is made in accordance with § 424.106.
- (b)Medical information requirements. A physician (or, if appropriate, the hospital) submits medical information that—
- (1)Describes the nature of the emergency and specifies why it required that the beneficiary be treated in the most accessible hospital;
- (2)Establishes that all the conditions in paragraph (a) of this section are met; and
- (3)Indicates when the emergency ended, which, for inpatient hospital services, is the earliest date on which the beneficiary could be safely discharged or transferred to a participating hospital or other institution.