Skilled nursing

Guides

• Medicare coverage after a hospital stay

  How the Medicare skilled nursing facility benefit works, including the 3-day inpatient rule and observation status.

• NJ Medicaid and MLTSS for assisted living and nursing homes: official sources

  Medicaid long-term care rules are set by the state and change often. For current eligibility, see NJ Medicaid MLTSS or call your county Board of Social Services.

• Rehab, a nursing home, or home health

  How an inpatient rehab hospital, a nursing-home rehab stay, and Medicare home health differ in New Jersey.

• How to choose a nursing home using CMS star ratings

  What Medicare’s 1-to-5 star ratings measure, and what a tour still has to answer.

• Short-term rehab vs. a nursing home in New Jersey

  Often the same licensed nursing home: a short Medicare stay and a longer custodial stay differ by payer and goal, not by a second license.

• Medicare’s 100 days of rehab

  How Original Medicare splits a skilled nursing benefit period: days 1–20, a daily coinsurance after that, and why 100 days is not a promise.

• The 3-day rule and observation status

  Why an observation stay is outpatient, what the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice is, and which days count toward skilled nursing.

• Best short-term rehab in Bergen County: how to compare

  How to compare Bergen County nursing homes for a short stay using CMS stars, staffing, and inspections. This is not a ranking.

• Passaic County rehab and nursing homes: a family guide

  How to look up licensed nursing homes and short-term rehab in Wayne, Clifton, Paterson, and the rest of Passaic County.

• 15 questions to ask before your parent is discharged

  A free printable checklist for a New Jersey hospital discharge: status, the 3-day rule, the QIO appeal, medications, and the first night home.

• Hospital discharging Mom too soon? How to appeal in New Jersey

  What An Important Message from Medicare is, when to call the Quality Improvement Organization, and how a New Jersey fast appeal starts.

• NJ Medicaid long-term care (MLTSS): official sources

  Medicaid long-term care rules are set by the state and change often. For current eligibility, see NJ Medicaid MLTSS or call your county Board of Social Services.

• Inpatient rehab vs. skilled nursing

  How a comprehensive rehabilitation hospital differs from a skilled nursing stay, including the therapy-intensity standard and the New Jersey license count in this directory.

• How to tour a rehab or nursing home: a New Jersey checklist

  What to look for on a visit, which records to ask for, and the questions Medicare’s nursing-home guide still expects you to ask.