Skilled nursing care can be needed short or long term. Whether one is recovering from an illness or surgery that requires short-term rehabilitative care or one has reached a stage in life where constant care is the only option, there are a number of places to choose from — large scale or intimate.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois has approximately 1,200 long-term care facilities. Some accept Medicare payment for a prescribed time and some are private pay.
These facilities are licensed, regulated and inspected at least annually by the IDPH.
Long-term care facilities, often referred to as nursing homes, are licensed under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. They provide several levels of care including skilled care requiring rehabilitation or skilled nursing services after an illness or operation, intermediate care where residents receive nursing care as well as assistance with personal needs, and sheltered care for those who do not require nursing care but do need personal assistance and a protective environment.
Medicare Part A covers skilled nursing care in a Medicare certified skilled nursing facility under certain conditions for a limited time, up to 100 days if a patient meets Medicare requirements, including a qualifying three day hospital stay before admission to a skilled care facility. In addition to skilled long-term care or nursing home facilities, continuing care retirement communities typically include a skilled care setting, along with independent and assisted living.
For information on Medicare skilled nursing facility care, visit http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/skilled-nursing-facility-care.html.
Visit the IDPH site, idph.state.il.us/healthca/nursinghometestjava.htm, to locate a long-term care facility.
