Swing-Bed Skilled Nursing Facility
“Skilled nursing” is post-hospitalization care for patients who require certain services. At Franklin General Hospital, skilled nursing patients are cared for in the Acute Care wing of the hospital by its staff of health care professionals.
Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance all have their own guidelines regarding skilled nursing care. This makes it important to define a patient’s needs and make sure they are receiving the appropriate level of care to qualify for the appropriate coverage.
Services include but are not limited to:
- Rehabilitation services such as that following strokes and joint replacements (may include physical, occupational, and speech therapies)
- Medication administration
- Frequent laboratory monitoring
- Wound management
Medicare’s Qualifications for Admission to Skilled Nursing Facility
- Three-day (consecutive) stay on acute level of care within past 30 days
- Physician referral for necessary daily skilled service related to hospitalization
- Medicare Part A (Hospital) Benefit or available days remaining in current benefit period
Medicare’s Criteria for Skilled Nursing Care
- IV medications or medications requiring monitoring by professional staff
- Frequent nasopharyngeal or tracheostomy suctioning by licensed professional staff
- Wound management/sterile dressing changes
- Qualifying bowel and bladder care ·
- Respiratory therapy for qualifying procedures
- Need for inpatient therapies, i.e., physical, occupational, or speech therapy
- Feeding per nasogastric/gastrostomy tube
- Nursing rehabilitation required for qualifying daily cares
Lori West, R.N., B.S.N
641.456.5038
Theresa Dye, L.B.S.W.
641.456.5036