Scott R. Talaga
Analyst in Health Care Financing
A Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) is an institution, or distinct part of an institution (e.g., building, floor, wing), that provides post-acute skilled nursing care and/or skilled rehabilitation services, has in effect a written agreement to transfer patients between one or more hospitals and the SNF, and is certified by Medicare. In general, “skilled” nursing and rehabilitative care are services ordered by a physician that require the skills of professional personnel (i.e., registered nurse, physical therapist) and are provided under the supervision of such personnel.
The Medicare SNF benefit has drawn attention due to the rapid increase in SNF expenditures. In 2011, Medicare Parts A and B payments to SNF providers totaled $30.1 billion, having grown at an average annual rate of 9.9% since 2000. SNF payment reductions have been recommended by various deficit reduction groups. Some of the recommendations have included reducing the SNF reimbursement rate and reducing or eliminating Medicare bad debt reimbursement.
Given the beneficiary has met certain requirements, a Medicare beneficiary is entitled to 100 days of SNF care for each Medicare-covered SNF stay. To be eligible for SNF coverage, a Medicare beneficiary must have been an inpatient of a hospital for at least 3 consecutive calendar days and transferred to a participating SNF usually within 30 days after discharge from the hospital. Beneficiaries must also receive treatment at the SNF for a condition they were receiving treatment for during their qualifying hospital stay (or for an additional condition that arose while in the SNF). For the first 20 days of SNF coverage, Medicare beneficiaries have no copayment. Medicare beneficiaries have a daily SNF copayment for the 21st through the 100th day indexed annually at one-eighth (12.5%) of the current Part A deductible. For 2013, the daily copayment is $148.
SNFs are reimbursed under a prospective payment system (PPS), which began on July 1, 1998. The PPS reimbursement is a per diem “per day” amount that covers most costs of furnishing SNF services to Medicare beneficiaries. With the exception of certain high-cost ancillary services, the SNF PPS bundles covered-SNF services into a single per diem reimbursement rather than Medicare paying for each service individually.
This report describes the Medicare SNF benefit and the reimbursement system for SNF services. In addition, this report describes recent issues, as well as congressional and other proposals designed to slow the growth of Medicare SNF expenditures. .
Date of Report: February 21, 2013
Number of Pages: 19
Order Number: R42401
Price: $29.95
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