Important Message from Medicare Timing
When the Important Message from Medicare is due.
Open the tool → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Inpatient admission
- 2026-10-05T14:00
- First IM delivered
- 2026-10-06
- Planned discharge
- 2026-10-10T11:00
Result: The first IM, delivered October 6, 2026, was on time. Give the follow-up copy no sooner than October 8, 2026 and no later than October 10, 2026, 7:00 am, 4 hours before discharge.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What you enter
- Inpatient admission (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM)
- First IM delivered (YYYY-MM-DD)
- Planned discharge (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM)
How this is calculated
Citation
42 CFR 405.1205: the first IM no later than 2 calendar days after admission; a follow-up copy no more than 2 calendar days before discharge, unless the first came within 2 days of it. Pub. 100-04 ch. 30 sec. 200.3.4: up to 7 days before admission; as late as 4 hours before discharge. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.