Swing Bed
A Swing Bed is a term used by Medicare A for the placement of patients into a hospital setting for an extended period of time for a Skilled Nursing service.
What is a Skilled Nursing service?
Skilled Nursing is a service that can only be provided by a licensed professional. It provides patients, with significant deficiencies the following services, if necessary:
Nursing;
Physical, occupational, speech, or other rehabilitative therapies following an illness, accident, or surgery;
IV therapy;
Wound care and
Ancillary services such as X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, and MRI.
Is a Swing Bed a Nursing Home?
No. A Swing Bed is its own status. It is for Skilled Nursing care not provided by a Long Term Care Nursing Home.
How does a Swing Bed differ from a hospital inpatient?
An inpatient hospital stay is for an acute condition or disease. A Swing Bed is for the symptoms caused by a chronic condition or following an accident, surgical procedure, or for a prolonged acute condition.
Who can be admitted into Swing Bed?
Any Medicare patient who has been an inpatient in a hospital with an acute care condition within the last 30 days for at least three midnights and meets the criteria for continued skilled treatment or rehabilitation strengthening.
(Some insurance companies will also pay for Swing Bed. This must be verified before admission.)
How is a Swing Bed patient treated?
An Interdisciplinary Team of Physicians, Nurses, Therapists, Activities, Dietary, Social Services, and any Specialty Physicians work together to provide an individual Care Plan for each Swing Bed patient.
What are the Goals of the Swing Bed?
The goal is to achieve maximum medical improvement so that the patient may be returned to their prior level of function or independence.
How long can I stay in Swing Bed?
As long as you are making progress, a patient can stay as a Swing Bed up to 100 days per spell of illness. Medicare will pay for the first 20 days in full. The
remaining days, up to 80, have a deductable of $141.50 per day. Medicare supplemental insurance polices will usually pay for the co-insurance for the 80
remaining days. If the patient does not have supplemental insurance, they are responsible for the $141.50 daily deductable. After a patient has been out of a
Medicare A bed for 60 days or longer, the Skilled Nursing benefits is renewed.
Your diet will be established based on your medical condition and your doctor’s recommendations.
You will be visited and evaluated by a representative from the Therapy department who will develop a program of rehabilitation for you.
A representative from Social Services and Activities will visit you to learn something about your background, what activities you enjoy, and how much
you are able to cope within your new environment.
Your nurses will then help to carry out your program by gently encouraging you.
Together all these professionals will develop and carry out a Care Plan with specific goals.