Skilled Nursing
Skilled nursing (also called nursing homes or rest homes) offers 24-hour skilled nursing care and medical oversight and is the first level of care that is licensed to administer medical treatment with nurses. A skilled nursing facility is a lot like a nursing home and oftentimes referred to as the same; both offer advanced level, around-the-clock care for their residents. In skilled nursing facilities, residents do not have to be able to get to a place of safety independently. To live in a nursing home, you need to require a certain level of care and admission must be initiated by a person’s physician, who recommends that a patient enter either ‘rehab care’ or a ‘special care’ facility.
Before MO HealthNet will pay for skilled nursing care, a person must qualify for a level of care. This determination is made by the Division of Senior Services. Skilled nursing facilities also provide rehabilitation after an injury, surgery, or hospital stay. This is the only time Medicare will pay for skilled nursing care.
Skilled nursing facilities are commonly used for short-term rehabilitative stays. Extending stays into longer-term care must be medically necessary for the treatment of a serious medical condition and is largely dependent on state and federal benefit regulations. Many patients are admitted to skilled nursing to address an acute condition such as rehabilitating a broken hip, or treating an infection with IV antibiotics.