The difference between a skilled nursing facility and a nursing home comes down to the care provided: skilled nursing care versus the level of care of a nursing home. A skilled nursing facility is an inpatient rehabilitation and medical treatment facility staffed by trained medical professionals. Patients usually arrive at a skilled nursing facility after a hospital stay and remain under the care of a doctor. A skilled nursing facility, or SNF, is a temporary residence for patients undergoing medically necessary rehabilitation treatment.
This treatment can be administered under the same roof as a nursing home. However, rehabilitation treatment is paid differently and works under different rules. When treatment is completed in a skilled nursing facility, the patient can return to their more permanent place of residence. Medicare doesn't cover long-term custody care in a nursing home, even if Medicaid or private long-term health insurance yes they can do it.
If you stay in an SNF for up to 20 days, your costs must be under control and Medicare must pay for most or all of them. Patients can go from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility to continue to recover after an illness, injury, or surgery. Each MA plan sets its own rules about how much skilled nursing care it will cover, for how long, and under what conditions. Skilled nursing facilities that violate these and other standards can be reported to authorities, such as local long-term care advocates and state regulatory agencies for nursing homes.
In addition to custody care, nursing home residents can get help taking medications or managing chronic illnesses. Skilled nursing facilities cannot charge an entry fee, as some assisted living communities do, and they are required to put their services and fees in writing and to provide these details in advance to the patient or the patient's caregiver. Every patient who enters a skilled nursing facility receives an initial health evaluation, as well as ongoing health evaluations to evaluate their physical and mental health, medications, and ability to perform activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing. Nursing homes provide long-term housing and care, while skilled nursing facilities usually offer short-term medical care. However, spend a little time researching nursing homes and you'll see that they're often referred to as skilled nursing facilities, or SNFs, for their acronym in English.
After a stroke, surgery, or extensive treatment for a kidney, heart, or respiratory condition, a patient may need nursing care after being discharged from the hospital. Medicare will pay for skilled nursing services if a doctor prescribes specialized therapies (physical and occupational), medications, medical equipment and supplies, and social services. This type of care can be offered in hospitals, assisted living communities, retirement communities with continuing care, nursing homes and other certified centers.
