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) control number for the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) (CMS-10611) expired on November 30, 2025.  CMS is coordinating with the OMB, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), to reauthorize this information collection.  Once the OMB control number for the MOON is reauthorized, CMS will notify the industry through our website, the Health Plan Management System (HPMS), and the Medicare Learning Network. Providers may continue to use the current version of the notice until we provide further instructions. CMS will give providers 60 calendar days from the date of the CMS announcement to begin using the updated MOON.  

Questions?

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