A health care center that provides rehabilitative services and full 24-h nursing from registered nurses and LPNs for convalescent patients. Patients are under the supervision of a physician, and the facility has a transfer agreement with a nearby hospital. Services may be covered by both Medicare and Medicaid domiciliary care facility; intermediate care facility.
A free-standing facility set up to provide skilled nursing care. To qualify as an SNF, the facility must have an organized professional staff including medical and nursing professionals, and meet the other social and health needs of patients who do not require acute hospital care, but who do need inpatient professional nursing care. An SNF typically must have on-site registered nurse (RN) supervision for at least two nursing shifts each day. Patients may be discharged from an acute hospital and then admitted to an SNF. A portion of an SNF may be organized so as to provide “intermediate care,” and called the “intermediate care unit” of the SNF. Skilled nursing care may be provided in a portion of an acute hospital, in which case that portion is called a “skilled nursing unit” (SNU). Formerly called “extended care facility” (ECF).