Bed-Hold Policies and Readmission Rights in Medicare and Medicaid

Medicare law does not include provisions for maintaining bed-hold policies, unlike Medicaid. However, under Medicaid regulations, when a nursing facility transfers a resident to a hospital or permits a resident to go on therapeutic leave, the nursing facility is required to furnish written information to the resident and a family member or legal representative. This information should outline the nursing facility's bed-hold policies.

It's important to note that Medicare law does not guarantee readmission rights for Medicare beneficiaries who are hospitalized. The readmission of a Medicare beneficiary to a nursing facility may be subject to the facility's policies and other relevant factors