Via the Center for Medicare Advocacy:
Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs/nursing homes) often tell residents and families that they are discharging the resident because Medicare will no longer pay for the resident’s stay. In a previous Alert (Jan. 2016), the Center for Medicare Advocacy explained that Medicare coverage for care and discharge from SNFs are two distinct issues, each with its own set of rules and due process rights.[1] This Alert provides new information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) related to the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on SNF coverage and discharges. We then discuss longstanding coverage rules, with updated regulatory citations and edits.