Prior to the government shutdown, Representative Jim McDermott of Washington introduced a bill that would end the hospital inpatient requirement for skilled nursing facility (“SNF”) coverage. Currently, a beneficiary must complete a three-day inpatient hospital stay before qualifying for an SNF stay. The proposed bill would eliminate the hospital stay requirement so long as a physician or other qualified professional certified the need for skilled services.
The Congressional Commission on Long-Term Care recently released a report to Congress that included a recommendation for removal of the inpatient stay requirement. While this change is widely supported, the proposed bill will not be addressed until the government resumes functioning.
Should you have any questions, please contact:
- Todd Selby at 317.977.1440 or tselby@wp.hallrender.com;
- Brian Jent at 317.977.1402 or bjent@wp.hallrender.com;
- David Bufford at 502.568.9368 or dbufford@wp.hallrender.com; or
- Your regular Hall Render attorney.
