Mercy Hospital v. Commonwealth, Department of Public Welfare

Opinion by

Judge MacPhail,

Mercy Hospital (Mercy) appeals here from an order of the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (Office) which denied Mercy reimbursement for care it rendered to a patient eligible for medical assistance.

Mercy, an acute care facility, sought reimbursement from the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) for care it rendered to patient Margaret Connell (Connell). Mercy’s claim was for the period between *194February 21, 1983 and March 16, 1983, when Connell was no longer in need of acute care, but due to an administrative delay in approving her…