Lakeview Methodist health care center is a SKILLED NURSING HOME…..what exactly does this mean, and how are we different from Assisted Living?

First of all,  we are certified by the federal government to care for people who qualify for Medicare services, also known as Skilled Services.  Medicare will pay for any individual who comes to a nursing home after three inpatient days in a hospital, and whose condition meets the criteria developed by Medicare.   Medicare then pays twenty days in full to the nursing home, and up to another 80 days, but with a co-pay.  Many folks have a Supplemental insurance policy that pays this co-pay for them.  After this first (up to) 100 days, individuals pay from their own funds, long term care insurance, or Medical Assistance through their county.

So, we are a SKILLED nursing home because individuals receiving Medicare or Medicare Bundled Services can receive care at Lakeview.  Again, in the world of nursing homes, Medicare and Skilled are synonymous terms.

However, an individual does not HAVE to be Medicare/Skilled to become a resident or remain a resident at Lakeview. Ninety percent of our residents need advanced nursing care that does not qualify as Skilled, but nevertheless is needed on a daily basis.

For those persons needing non-skilled care and without personal funds, Medical Assistance is there to step in and help.  An application process with the County determines when Medical Assistance will begin to pay.  Because the process sometimes can be lengthy, they are willing to look back at outstanding bills for three months, but no longer than three months.  There is almost always a portion of the bill for which each resident is still responsible, and it is highly important to keep up with that, even during the application process!

With a recent increase in rates passed by the Minnesota legislature, the daily rate averages between $200.00 and $250.00, but can peak higher during a period of intensive service.  This is, however, inclusive of nursing care and ALL other living expenses except telephone.  So if one considers a 24-hour breakdown, Lakeview Health Care Center costs between $9.37 and $10.41 per hour!

~Deb Barnes, Administrator