River Garden short-term rehabilitation is designed to bridge hospital to home – focusing on a fast recovery and personalized therapy for a safe return to your community or home.
Short-Term Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing:
- Seamless transition from hospital to home
- Focus on restoring your ability to return home safely
- Personalized care and recovery plans
- Dedicated one-on-one therapy sessions
- Comfortable private rooms with cable, Wi-Fi and phone
Therapy Services Include:
- Physical Therapy (PT): Restores strength, balance, and mobility to improve safe movement and independence
- Occupational Therapy (OT): Builds skills for daily living through adaptive strategies, cognitive support, and environmental modifications
- Speech Therapy (ST): Enhances communication, swallowing, and cognitive abilities for improved quality of life
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a typical short-term rehabilitation stay?
The length of a stay varies depending on the individual’s condition, the intensity of therapy needed and the rate of progress. Most stays range from one to six weeks. River Garden’s therapy team works with each resident toward the goal of returning home as soon as it is medically safe to do so, and discharge planning begins on the first day of admission.
Does Medicare cover short-term rehabilitation at River Garden?
Medicare Part A covers skilled nursing facility care following a qualifying hospital stay of at least three consecutive inpatient nights — not observation status nights. Coverage applies for up to 100 days per benefit period: Medicare covers the full cost for days 1 through 20; a daily coinsurance applies for days 21 through 100; after day 100, Medicare coverage ends. Many Medicare supplement plans cover some or all of the coinsurance. River Garden’s admissions team can help clarify what applies to a specific situation.
Can I choose River Garden if my doctor recommends a different facility?
Yes. Under federal Medicare discharge planning rules, patients and families have the right to choose the skilled nursing facility they prefer for a Medicare-covered stay. The hospital is required to provide a list of Medicare-certified facilities in the area, but is not permitted to require the patient to use a specific facility. Ask the hospital case manager or discharge planner to contact River Garden directly.
What is the difference between inpatient and observation status, and why does it matter?
Inpatient status means a physician has formally admitted a patient to the hospital as an inpatient. Observation status means the patient is being monitored but has not been formally admitted. This distinction matters because Medicare Part A only covers skilled nursing facility care following at least three consecutive inpatient nights — observation nights do not count toward this requirement. If there is uncertainty about a patient’s hospital status, families should ask the hospital’s patient advocate or case manager to clarify before discharge.
How do I arrange a short-term rehabilitation admission?
Contact River Garden’s admissions team at 904.260.1818. The team works directly with hospitals and discharge planners to coordinate admissions, often on the same day as hospital discharge when needed. Families can also request River Garden by name directly with the hospital case manager.