Information nursing homes need to admit you

After you choose a nursing home, you'll need to make arrangements for admission. When you contact the nursing home office, it's helpful to have this information ready:

Payment information

Provide information about any health care coverage and long-term care insurance you have that pays for nursing home care, health care, or both. This includes the name of the insurance company and the policy number.
     

If Medicare or Medicaid will cover your nursing home care, the nursing home can't require you to pay a cash deposit. They may ask that you pay your Medicare coinsurance amounts and other charges you would normally have to pay. If Medicare or Medicaid won't cover your nursing home care, you may have to pay a cash deposit before you're admitted.

Health & contact information

  • Medical history: a list of any current or past health problems, any past surgeries or treatments, any shots you've had, and allergies you have to food or medicine
  • Current health status: a list of your current health problems, recent diagnostic test results, and information about any activities of daily living that might be difficult for you to do by yourself
  • Current medicines: a list of medicines with the dose, how often you take it, and why you take it
  • Contact information (names, addresses, and phone numbers) for your health care providers
  • Contact information for family members to call in case of an emergency
  • Health care advance directives

Personal needs accounts

You may want to open an account managed by the nursing home, although the nursing home may not require this. You can deposit money into the account for personal use. Check with the nursing home to see how they manage these accounts, because you may only have access to the account at certain times.

Information about Medicare & Medicaid benefits

The nursing home must provide (orally and in writing) and prominently display written information about how to apply for and use Medicare and Medicaid benefits . They must also provide information on how to get refunds for previous payments covered by such benefits.