---
title: "What Is Skilled nursing facility? Home Care Glossary"
description: "A skilled nursing facility (SNF) is a Medicare-certified facility that provides nursing and therapy that only professionals can safely give. People often..."
url: https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/skilled-nursing-facility/
publisher: HomeCare.com
phone: 800-974-3458
start: https://care.homecare.com/?source=homecare.com
---

Types of care

# Skilled nursing facility (SNF)

A skilled nursing facility (SNF) is a Medicare-certified facility that provides nursing and therapy that only professionals can safely give. People often stay after a hospital visit to recover. Medicare Part A covers it for a short time when set requirements are met.

## Why it matters for your family

An SNF stay often follows a hospital stay for a fall, stroke, or surgery. Medicare generally requires a medically necessary inpatient hospital stay of at least three days in a row. Time in the emergency room or under observation does not count. Medicare covers a limited number of days per benefit period, with daily costs after the first 20 days. A common mistake is assuming Medicare covers a long-term stay. It does not. Ask the hospital team early whether your loved one qualifies, and plan for home care or other help when coverage ends.

Source: [medicare.gov](https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/skilled-nursing-facility-snf-care)

## Related terms

-   [**Skilled nursing care**Skilled nursing care is nursing and therapy that only licensed professionals, or staff supervised by them, can safely provide.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/skilled-nursing-care/)
-   [**Nursing home**A nursing home is a residential facility that provides round-the-clock supervision, nursing care, meals, help with daily activities, and often rehabilitation.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/nursing-home/)
-   [**Medicare Part A**Medicare Part A is hospital insurance.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/medicare-part-a/)
-   [**Rehabilitation care**Rehabilitation care is therapy that helps a person regain strength, movement, speech, or daily skills after an illness, injury, or surgery.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/rehabilitation-care/)
-   [**Discharge planning**Discharge planning is the process a hospital, nursing home or other facility uses to prepare a patient to leave.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/discharge-planning/)
-   [**Hospital discharge**Hospital discharge is when a patient leaves the hospital to go home or to another care setting.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/hospital-discharge/)

[All glossary terms](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/)

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