Reference no: EM133867121

Question

Mrs. Smith was hospitalized after a stroke and subsequently admitted to a SNF for a Medicare Part A stay. While in the hospital she needed a feeding tube to receive all her nutrition and hydration. She exhausted her 100-day benefit period and remained in the SNF. Then seven months later, Mrs. Smith improved so all her intake could be taken by mouth. But six months later, she declined, ceased any oral intake, and resumed tube feeding. A year after that, she fell, broke her hip, and spent a week in the hospital as an inpatient. Which of the following statements is correct? Mrs. Smith does not have a new SNF benefit period because she met SNF criteria in the 60 days immediately before her hospitalization. Mrs. Smith can only receive rehabilitation services for her fractured hip in this new benefit period. She cannot be skilled for the feeding tube because she has already exhausted a benefit period for it. Mrs. Smith can be skilled for another 100 days because she had a 60-day break in skilled services in the SNF when she no longer needed the feeding tube. If therapy is discontinued during this stay, she can exhaust her benefit