Medicare SNF Billing Coverage 2022

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Medicare Part A covers skilled nursing and rehabilitation care in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) under certain conditions for a limited time. Coverage for care in SNFs is measured in ‘benefit periods’ or sometimes ‘spell of illness. In each benefit period, Medicare Part A covers up to 20 days in full. After that, Medicare Part A covers an additional 80 days with the beneficiary paying coinsurance for each day. After 100 days, the SNF coverage available during that benefit period is ‘exhausted,’ and the beneficiary pays for all care, except for certain Medicare Part B services. In this article, we shared Medicare SNF billing coverage for the year 2022, and also we bifurcated Medicare SNF billing coverage for Medicare part A, Medicare part B, Original Medicare, and Medicare Advantage (MA).

Medicare SNF Billing Coverage

Medicare Part A Coverage

The SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) pays for all SNF Part A inpatient services.

Medicare Part A covers Medicare-certified SNF skilled care. Skilled care is nursing or other rehabilitative services, provided according to physician orders, that:

• Require skills of qualified technical or professional health personnel, like registered nurses, licensed practical (vocational) nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists or audiologists
• Are provided directly by, or under general skilled nursing or skilled rehabilitation personnel supervision, to assure patient safety and medically desired results
• General supervision requires initial direction and periodic inspection of the actual activity; the supervisor isn’t always physically present or at the location when the assistant performs services

Medicare considers a service skilled if its inherent complexity can only be performed safely and or effectively by, or under the general supervision of, skilled nursing or skilled rehabilitation personnel. Under the consolidated billing provision, SNF Part A inpatient services include all Medicare Part A services considered within the scope or capability of SNFs. In some cases, the SNF must obtain some services it does not provide directly. For these services, the SNF must make arrangements to pay for the services and must not bill Medicare separately for those services.