Role of Skilled Nursing in treating patients

Skilled nursing refers to the care or treatment offered by licensed nurses to care for a patient’s medical needs. Examples of skilled nursing needs include complex wound dressings, rehabilitation, tube feedings or monitoring rapidly changing health status.

Skilled Nursing Facilities

Skilled nursing facilities are residential facilities where patients receive skilled nursing care around the clock. Medicare may pay for your skilled nursing facility if the doctor confirms that you need skilled nursing care and it will help you meet your health goals.

The services covered by Medicare include –

  • meals
  • physical therapy
  • occupational therapy
  • medication management
  • social services
  • medical supplies and equipment
  • speech therapy

Medicare may also cover ambulance transportation to the facility, if it’s too dangerous for the patient to travel by other means and the services needed are not available at the skilled nursing facility.

Patients at skilled nursing facilities may also get shared rooms, paid for by Medicare. And they receive meals, as well as dietary counseling.

Skilled Nursing doesn’t include

Skilled nursing does not include hospice or palliative care. You may have to consult a doctor on how to go about getting hospice care for a loved one, if needed.