To qualify for Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement, admission to the Swing Bed Program must be preceded by an acute hospital stay of at least three days. Medicare coverage is limited to 100 days of skilled swing bed care. The first 20 days are fully covered by Medicare. For the next 80 days, there is co-insurance coverage.
Any patient covered by government programs, Title XVIII, Title XIX, etc., will be billed for the balance after coverage is determined or payment received. Full payment is due when the patient receives the statement identified as "Patient Responsibility Statement." Bill for government payment will be submitted in accordance with federal regulations.
For private pay patients, the patient or patient's representative agrees to pay full charges following discharge from the Swing Bed Program, when the Patient Responsibility Statement is received.
The patient will be charged for the day of admission and not for the day of discharge.
The patient has the right of voluntary discharge or transfer from the facility provided the Swing Bed registered nurse is given prior notification, so that a proper discharge or transfer may be arranged. Since Prairie Lakes Hospital is primarily an acute care facility, situations may arise in which the Swing Bed patient's bed must be utilized for acute care patients. In such circumstances, the Swing Bed patient's physician will make arrangements for immediate transfer to another facility suitable to the Swing Bed patient's needs.
The patient/family guardian will be notified of the impending transfer and the reason for the discharge. Transfer of a Swing Bed patient to hospital acute care status is indicated when an acute medical problem arises that requires more involved treatment than that provided by a Swing Bed service or than could be obtained on an outpatient basis.