how to qualify for inpatient stay at rehab

Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility To qualify for a Medicare-covered stay in a rehabilitation hospital

, you, as the clinician, must state that the care is medically necessary. Meaning, your patient must require all the following services for their stay to be covered:

Full Answer

How do I qualify for inpatient rehabilitation?

care you get in an inpatient rehabilitation facility or unit (sometimes called an inpatient “rehab” facility, IRF, acute care rehabilitation center, or rehabilitation hospital). Your doctor must certify that you have a medical condition that requires intensive rehabilitation, continued medical supervision, and coordinated care that comes from your doctors and therapists working together.

What is inpatient rehabilitation like?

Apr 12, 2022 · To qualify for care in an inpatient rehabilitation facility, your doctor must state that your medical condition requires the following: Intensive rehabilitation Continued medical supervision Coordinated care from your doctors and therapists working together

When do you need rehab in an IRF?

To qualify for a Medicare-covered stay in a rehabilitation hospital, you, as the clinician, must state that the care is medically necessary. Meaning, your patient must require all the following services for their stay to be covered: 24-hour access to a doctor (meaning you require frequent, direct doctor involvement, at least every 2-3 days),

Does Medicare Part a cover inpatient rehabilitation?

One of the special types of hospitals excluded from the IPPS is an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF). Medicare payments to IRFs are based on the IRF PPS that was implemented on January 1, 2002. The conditions for payment under the IRF PPS are specified at §412.604. The implementation of the IRF PPS did not change the regulations and ...

Where does rehabilitation take place?

Rehabilitation may take place in a special section of the hospital, in a skilled nursing facility, or in a separate rehabilitation facility. Although Medicare covers your care during rehabilitation, it’s not intended to be long-term care. You can learn more about Medicare and long-term care facilities here.

What to do if you have a sudden illness?

Though you don’t always have advance notice with a sudden illness or injury, it’s always a good idea to talk with your healthcare team about Medicare coverage before a procedure or inpatient stay, if you can.

Does Medicare cover rehab?

Medicare Part A covers your inpatient care in a rehabilitation facility as long as your doctor deems it medically necessary. In addition, you must receive care in a facility that’s Medicare-approved. Depending on where you receive your inpatient rehab therapy, you may need to have a qualifying 3-day hospital stay before your rehab admission.

Does Medigap cover coinsurance?

Costs with Medigap. Adding Medigap (Medicare supplement) coverage could help you pay your coinsurance and deductible costs. Some Medigap plans also offer additional lifetime reserve days (up to 365 extra days). You can search for plans in your area and compare coverage using Medicare’s plan finder tool.

Does Medicare cover knee replacement surgery?

The 3-day rule does not apply for these procedures, and Medicare will cover your inpatient rehabilitation after the surgery. These procedures can be found on Medicare’s inpatient only list. In 2018, Medicare removed total knee replacements from the inpatient only list.

Does Medicare cover inpatient rehabilitation?

Medicare covers your treatment in an inpatient rehabilitation facility as long as you meet certain guidelines.

What is an inpatient rehab facility?

An inpatient rehabilitation facility (inpatient “rehab” facility or IRF) Acute care rehabilitation center. Rehabilitation hospital. For inpatient rehab care to be covered, your doctor needs to affirm the following are true for your medical condition: 1. It requires intensive rehab.

How long does Medicare cover inpatient rehab?

Medicare covers inpatient rehab in a skilled nursing facility – also known as an SNF – for up to 100 days. Rehab in an SNF may be needed after an injury or procedure, like a hip or knee replacement.

What is Medicare Part A?

Published by: Medicare Made Clear. Medicare Part A covers medically necessary inpatient rehab (rehabilitation) care , which can help when you’re recovering from serious injuries, surgery or an illness. Inpatient rehab care may be provided in of the following facilities: A skilled nursing facility.

What is Medicare Made Clear?

Medicare Made Clear is brought to you by UnitedHealthcare to help make understanding Medicare easier. Click here to take advantage of more helpful tools and resources from Medicare Made Clear including downloadable worksheets and guides.

How many reserve days can you use for Medicare?

You may use up to 60 lifetime reserve days at a per-day charge set by Medicare for days 91–150 in a benefit period. You pay 100 percent of the cost for day 150 and beyond in a benefit period. Your inpatient rehab coverage and costs may be different with a Medicare Advantage plan, and some costs may be covered if you have a Medicare supplement plan. ...

Does Medicare cover speech therapy?

Medicare will cover your rehab services (physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology), a semi-private room, your meals, nursing services, medications and other hospital services and supplies received during your stay.

What does it mean when a patient is homebound?

Patient is homebound, meaning it is extremely difficult for the patient to leave his or her home and needs help doing so. Patient needs skilled nursing services and/or skilled therapy care (physical, speech, and occupational therapy) on an intermittent basis.

How many midnights are covered by Medicare?

Patients with Medicare are covered if they meet the following conditions: You have Part A and have days left in your benefit period; you have a qualifying hospital stay (3 mid nights); your doctor has decided that you need daily skilled care given by, or under the direct supervision of, skilled nursing or therapy staff.

Does Medicare cover home health?

Medicare covers home health care if the patient is under a doctor’s care and the doctor certifies that the patient is/needs at least one of the following :

What is Medicare IRF?

All hospitals or units of a hospital that are classified under subpart B of part 412 of the Medicare regulations as inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). Medicare payments to IRFs are based on the IRF prospective payment system (PPS) under subpart P of part 412.

What is Medicare certified hospital?

Section 1886(d)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and Part 412 of the Medicare regulations define a Medicare certified hospital that is paid under the inpatient (acute care hospital) prospective payment system (IPPS). However, the statute and regulations also provide for the classification of special types of Medicare certified hospitals that are excluded from payment under the IPPS. These special types of hospitals must meet the criteria specified at subpart B of Part 412 of the Medicare regulations. Failure to meet any of these criteria results in the termination of the special classification, and the facility reverts to an acute care inpatient hospital or unit that is paid under the IPPS in accordance with all applicable Medicare certification and State licensing requirements. In general, however, under §§ 412.23(i) and 412.25(c), changes to the classification status of an excluded hospital or unit of a hospital are made only at the beginning of a cost reporting period.

When was the CMS rule for major multiple traumas?

In the proposed rule dated September 9, 2003 (FR 68, 53272) CMS clarified which patients should be counted in the category of major multiple traumas to include patients in diagnosis-related groups 484, 485, 486 or 487 used under the IPPS.

What is 412.23(b)(2)?

Under revised §412.23(b)(2), a specific compliance percentage threshold of an IRF’s total patient population must require intensive rehabilitation services for the treatment of one or more of the specified conditions. Based on the final rule, CMS issued a Joint Signature Memorandum including instructions related to Regional Office (RO) and Medicare fiscal intermediary (FI) responsibilities regarding the performance of reviews to verify compliance with §412.23(b)(2) as detailed in CRs 3334 and 3503, which revised Medicare Claims Processing Manual Chapter 3, sections 140.1 to 140.1.8. (CR 3503 corrected some errors or clarified the instructions in CR 3334 and presented additional instructions to implement revised §412.23(b)(2).

When was the 412.23(b)(2) review suspended?

On June 7 , 2002, CMS notified all ROs and FIs of its concerns regarding the effectiveness and consistency of the review to determine compliance with §412.23(b)(2). As a result of these concerns, CMS initiated a comprehensive assessment of the procedures used by the FIs to verify compliance with the compliance percentage threshold requirement and suspended enforcement of the compliance percentage threshold requirement for existing IRFs. The suspension of enforcement did not apply to a facility that was first seeking classification as an IRF in accordance with §412.23(b)(8) or §412.30(b)(2). In such cases, all current regulations and procedures, including §412.23(b)(2), continued to be required.

What is an IRF in nursing?

Admission to an IRF is appropriate for patients with complex nursing, medical management, and rehabilitative needs.

What is the purpose of a post-admission physician evaluation?

The purpose of the post-admission physician evaluation is to document the patient’s status on admission to the IRF, compare it to that noted in the preadmission screening documentation, and begin development of the patient’s expected course of treatment that will be completed with input from all of the interdisciplinary team members in the overall plan of care. A dated, timed, and authenticated post-admission physician evaluation must be retained in the patient’s IRF medical record. The post-admission physician evaluation must:

What is CERT in Medicare?

This fact sheet describes common Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) Program errors related to inpatient rehabilitation services and provides information on the documentation needed to support a claim submitted to Medicare for inpatient rehabilitation services.

What is individualized overall plan of care?

The individualized overall plan of care is synthesized by the rehabilitation physician from the preadmission screening, post-admission physician evaluation, and information garnered from the assessments of all disciplines involved in treating the patient. The individualized overall plan of care must:

What is an IRF PAI?

The IRF-PAI gathers data to determine the payment for each Medicare Part A FFS patient admitted to an IRF. The IRF-PAI form must be included in the patient’s IRF medical record in either electronic or paper format.

Who generates admission orders?

Admission orders must be generated by a physician at the time of admission. Any licensed physician may generate the admission order. Physician extenders, working in collaboration with the physician, may also generate the admission order.

How long does a SNF benefit last?

The benefit period ends when you haven't gotten any inpatient hospital care (or skilled care in a SNF) for 60 days in a row.

What is SNF in nursing?

Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care. Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility , hospice care, and some home health care. Care like intravenous injections that can only be given by a registered nurse or doctor.

What services does Medicare cover?

Medicare-covered services include, but aren't limited to: Semi-private room (a room you share with other patients) Meals. Skilled nursing care. Physical therapy (if needed to meet your health goal) Occupational therapy (if needed to meet your health goal)