Nursing and other related services, use of hospital facilities, and medical social
services ordinarily furnished by the hospital for the care and treatment of inpatients
are covered under hospital insurance.
The services of a private-duty nurse or other private-duty attendant are not
covered. Private-duty nurses or private-duty attendants are registered professional nurses,
licensed practical nurses, or any other trained attendant whose services ordinarily
are rendered to, and restricted to, a particular patient by arrangement between the
patient and the private-duty nurse or attendant. Such persons are engaged or paid
by an individual patient or by someone acting on their behalf, including a hospital
that initially incurs the costs and looks to the patient for reimbursement for such
noncovered services.
When the hospital acts on behalf of a patient, the services of the private-duty nurse
or other attendant under such an arrangement are not inpatient hospital services regardless
of the control which the hospital may exercise with respect to the services rendered
by such private-duty nurse or attendant.
If the hospital engages the services of a nurse anesthetist or other nonphysician
anesthetist (either on a salary or fee-for-service basis) under arrangements which
provide for billing to be made by the hospital, the cost of the service when provided
to an inpatient would be covered under Part A.