What a nursing home is
Nursing homes are overseen by DSHS Residential Care Services and by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Their licenses and inspection reports are public.
Short stays and long stays
Medicare can cover a short skilled nursing stay after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days, when daily skilled care is needed. Coverage is limited to 100 days per benefit period, with a daily copayment after day 20.
Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care. Long stays are usually paid privately, through long-term care insurance or through Medicaid.
Common questions
Does someone leaving a nursing home rehab stay need another setting?
Often. When skilled care ends, the question becomes where the person can live with the support they need. Talk with the facility's discharge planner early, and ask about timing.