Hospital discharges move fast. Knowing the process keeps you from accepting the first available bed under pressure.
Meet the discharge planner early
Every hospital has a discharge planner or case manager. Ask them, on day one, what level of care your parent will need at discharge and whether they’ll qualify for a Medicare-covered skilled-nursing (rehab) stay.
The Medicare rehab stay
After a qualifying inpatient hospital stay, Medicare can cover skilled nursing for up to 100 days (full coverage for 20 days, then daily cost-sharing). This buys time and a partly funded window before you commit to a long-term arrangement.
You can decline a facility
You have the right to choose. If the suggested facility is far, low-rated or a poor fit, ask for other options — a short list of three to five is reasonable to request.
Contact facilities in parallel, not one at a time
Beds move hour to hour. Reach out to a few suitable facilities at once with a clear, prepared message.
Ready-to-send message
Hello,
my parent is being discharged from the hospital and needs a skilled-nursing (rehab) bed soon.
Do you have a bed available this week, and do you take Medicare for a rehab stay?
What do you need from the hospital to accept the referral quickly?
Thank you,
[Name]
[Phone]
How to use this guide in practice
Don’t read this as general information — use it as a worksheet. Write down the details of the person who needs care, the current limits of the situation at home, the monthly budget, the documents you already have, whether Medicaid may be needed, and who you’ve already spoken with. Then turn every unclear point into a specific question. A family that arrives with a clear picture usually gets more useful answers than one calling under stress with scattered information.
Keep one simple rule: anything about admission, cost, financing, timelines and whether a facility fits must be confirmed directly with the nursing home or the competent agency serving your area. This guide prepares the search — it does not replace official decisions.
Want a clear shortlist before you start calling?
If you don’t know which nursing homes to contact first, Curalune Care Help can prepare an ordered shortlist of 3–5 suitable options — with CMS ratings, contacts, useful links and a ready-to-send inquiry.
The service helps you organize the search. It does not replace the facility’s own assessment and does not guarantee admission, price or bed availability.
Important limit
Curalune offers practical help with the search and orientation. Admission, pricing, bed availability and the final assessment always rest with the facilities and the competent agencies (Medicaid, Medicare, the VA, the county Area Agency on Aging).