FFS & MA MOON

Hospitals and CAHs are required to provide a MOON to Medicare beneficiaries (including Medicare Advantage health plan enrollees) informing them that they are outpatients receiving observation services and are not inpatients of a hospital or critical access hospital (CAH).  

Full instructions are available in Section 400, of Chapter 30 of the CMS Claims Processing Manual, available at: /Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/clm104c30.pdf (PDF)

The notice, in English and Spanish, is available below under “Downloads.” Frequently asked questions ("MOON FAQs") are also available under "Downloads" below.

Please note: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has reauthorized the control number for the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) (CMS-10611).  CMS is notifying the industry through our website, the Health Plan Management System (HPMS), and the Medicare Learning Network. While no changes were made to the MOON delivery or timeframe requirements, CMS made readability and design improvements for consistency with other Medicare notices. The updated version of the MOON is effective now and expires February 28, 2029.  Providers who have existing stock of the expired MOON may continue to use the expired version until April 20, 2026, but must transition to the new form no later than that date.  

Questions?

Questions regarding the MOON can be submitted at: https://appeals.lmi.org