Final answer:
Correct option: C. A Medicare patient with no heart-related symptoms or diagnoses requesting an EKG. A Medicare patient with no heart-related symptoms or diagnoses requesting an EKG is most likely to be asked to sign an ABN, as it may not be covered by Medicare if deemed not medically necessary.
Step-by-step explanation:
An Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) is a notice given to Medicare beneficiaries to convey that Medicare is not expected to pay for a certain service or item that is normally covered because it is not considered medically necessary in their specific case. In the scenario provided, the patient most likely to be asked to sign an ABN would be C. A Medicare patient with no heart-related symptoms or diagnoses requesting an EKG. This is because an EKG may not be covered if there are no symptoms or diagnoses suggesting it is necessary, therefore Medicare might not pay for it.
Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance mainly for individuals who are 65 years of age or older. The number of people eligible for Medicare is significant; in the early 2000s, about 40 million people in the United States were covered by Medicare. As the aging baby boomer population grows, demand for healthcare services, including those covered by Medicare, is expected to increase.
The ABN serves to inform the patient that they may be responsible for the payment if Medicare denies the claim, providing the option to accept or decline the service with full knowledge of potential out-of-pocket costs.