As a result of the declaration of a national emergency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has waived the requirement that Medicare beneficiaries must spend at least three days in a hospital before qualifying for coverage in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) for those beneficiaries who need to be transferred as a result of a disaster or emergency.
In addition, CMS states that “for certain beneficiaries who recently exhausted their SNF benefits,” SNF coverage will be renewed without first having to start a new benefit period.
CMS’s “COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Health Care Providers Fact Sheet,” can be accessed here – [gview file=”https://vanarellilaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID19EmergDecFactSheetFINAL.pdf”]
CMS guidance in response to COVID-19 is posted on the Current Emergency page.
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