Definition of an Emergency Services Hospital

20.2 - Definition of an Emergency Services Hospital (Rev. 1, 09-11-02) An emergency services hospital is a nonparticipating hospital which meets the requirements of the law's definition of a "hospital" relating to full-time nursing services and licensure under State or applicable local law. (A Federal hospital need not be licensed under State or local licensing laws to meet the definition of emergency hospital.) In addition, the hospital must be primarily engaged in providing, under the supervision of doctors of medicine or osteopathy, services of the type that §20.1 describes in defining the term hospital, and must not be primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing care and related services for patients who require medical or nursing care. (See the definition of a SNF in §30 of this chapter.) Psychiatric hospitals that meet these requirements can qualify as emergency hospitals. Inpatient hospital services and related physician and ambulance services furnished outside the U.S. are covered under the limited conditions in Medicare Claims Processing Manual Chapter 1.