Elder Law

Nursing Home Residents Allowed to go to Home for the Day

By Levin & Perconti

The Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc is releasing news the news that residents of skilled nursing facilities can leave their facility to attend a family holiday celebration without losing their Medicare coverage. The policy recognizes that although most beneficiaries are unable to leave their facility an outside pass or short leave is not by itself evidence that the individual no longer needs to be in a skilled nursing facility for the receipt of required skill care. If a facility tries to tell you that a short leave will result in the loss of Medicare coverage, please inform them that this notification is not appropriate. If the resident returns to the facility by midnight, the facility can bill Medicare for the day?s stay. This will make for enjoyable holidays for our elderly citizens.

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Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on December 12, 2009 (boomark / email).