| One of my readers sent in a comment as a follow-up to my last Listen to Lawrence Letter – Volume 5, Issue 280 which was sent out on September 19th and discussed Medicare and Nursing Home costs. I thought it was worthy of passing along…
CLIENT COMMENT:
Dear Mr Davidow,
First, I’d like to say that I’ve been enjoying your Listen to Lawrence Letters for many years now and hope you continue writing them.
Secondly, I’d like to make a comment about this latest newsletter.
It is important for people to know that one needs to have a “qualified three-day hospital stay” before Medicare will cover costs at a subacute facility. This is something I’ve had to explain to many families in my role as a hospital discharge planning nurse. Someone can physically be in the hospital for several days but under the status of “observation”. Although occupying a hospital bed for one or more overnights, these patients are not considered “inpatient”. “Inpatient status” as per Medicare means that the patient meets certain Medicare guidelines for acute care hospital admission. This is a complicated process, and the rules change every year!
Thank you again for keeping us informed via your newsletters.
I hope this helps. |
