Hospital operators feeling the pinch from reduced inpatient volumes due to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ new regulations to better define when a short-term stay should count as an inpatient stay are certainly not alone. According to financial analysts at the prestigious Moody's Investors Service,  the new inpatient billing rule referred to as the “two-midnight rule” will put financial pressure on hospitals going forward.

The report is available to Moody's subscribers and to purchase.