What is an inpatient rehabilitation facility?
An inpatient rehabilitation facility, also known as an acute care rehabilitation center or rehabilitation hospital, is an inpatient facility where patients recovering from serious illness or injury receive intensive rehabilitation services, including at least three hours of rehabilitation therapy per day.
Medicare will cover inpatient rehabilitation facility care as long as your doctor certifies that intensive inpatient rehabilitation is necessary for your medical care. The coverage works the same as other inpatient hospitalization, with a Medicare Part A deductible that covers the first 60 days of inpatient care, and daily copays after that (depending on how long the patient is in the rehab hospital, they may need to utilize their lifetime reserve days, and may eventually run out of coverage).
An inpatient rehabilitation facility will be able to provide more intensive rehabilitation than a skilled nursing facility or home-based rehabilitation service. For example, a patient who has a knee replacement may need care in a skilled nursing facility during the rehabilitation process, whereas a patient who has suffered a major stroke, severe burn, or a spinal cord injury may need care in an inpatient rehabilitation facility.
