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]
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 to 5 suitable options — with contacts, useful links and a ready-to-send message you can put to all of them at once.
The service helps you organise the search. $89, one-off. If you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. It does not replace the home'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 nursing homes and the competent authorities (your state Medicaid agency, the state survey agency and Medicare).