Category: Billing and Reimbursement

Skilled nursing facility (SNF) staff must understand the intricate guidelines that regulate Medicare Part A coverage for SNF stays. Several technical requirements must be met before a resident qualifies for a Medicare Part A SNF stay. For example, the resident must have benefit days available, meet the 3-day qualifying hospital …

The 30-day transfer rule and its medical appropriateness exception typically don’t come up on a daily basis in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), yet these requirements—and flexibilities—are a key component of the fee-for-service Medicare Part A rules for SNF coverage in chapter 8, “Coverage of Extended-Care (SNF) Services Under Hospital Insurance,” …

The Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) includes four ways for a resident to classify into the Clinically Complex category of the Nursing payment component. If a resident has conditions or is receiving services that qualify for Extensive Services, Special Care High, or Special Care Low, but does not have a PDPM …

Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) definitely experience variety in their jobs, to state the obvious. Management and completion of the Minimum Data Set/Resident Assessment Instrument (MDS/RAI) process, Medicare management, and ICD-10-CM coding are just a few of the areas they are expected to master in their role. With these responsibilities alone, …

A skilled nursing facility (SNF) accepts a resident in a Medicare Advantage plan for admission after the plan provides a prior authorization. The resident receives skilled services for the allotted amount of time, and the nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) and the rest of the interdisciplinary team follow the plan’s rules. …