Skilled Nursing

What skilled nursing provides

A skilled nursing facility, often called a nursing home, provides 24-hour licensed nursing, help with daily activities, and access to services such as physical, occupational, or speech therapy when ordered. A person usually enters for one of two reasons:

• Short-term rehabilitation after an illness, injury, surgery, stroke, or hospital stay.
• Long-term care for ongoing medical and personal-care needs that cannot be met safely in assisted living or at home.

Skilled nursing is medically different from assisted living. Arizona licenses nursing care institutions, and facilities participating in Medicare or Medicaid must also meet applicable federal requirements. Use Medicare Care Compare for inspection, staffing, and quality information, then read the underlying details rather than relying on the star rating alone.

When it may be a good fit

Skilled nursing may be appropriate when a person:

• Needs daily licensed nursing care or complex medical management.
• Is recovering from surgery, a stroke, or a serious illness and needs rehabilitation.
• Has advanced conditions that assisted living or home care cannot safely handle.
• Requires care that goes beyond what a non-medical setting can provide.

A diagnosis alone does not determine placement. Ask the hospital clinician, therapist, or primary care professional to describe the skilled services, rehabilitation goals, and likely duration. Assisted living or memory care may be appropriate when continuous nursing is not needed.

What it costs and who may pay

Long-term skilled nursing in the East Valley typically costs $8,000 to $10,000 or more per month and is often quoted as a daily rate. Payment rules differ by type of stay:

• Medicare may cover qualifying skilled nursing facility care for a limited time—up to 100 days in a benefit period, with cost-sharing after day 20. Coverage is not automatic: the person, stay, facility, and services must meet Medicare rules, including the qualifying inpatient hospital stay requirement when it applies.
• ALTCS — Arizona's Medicaid long-term care program — can cover long-term skilled nursing for those who qualify.
• Private funds or long-term care insurance may pay when public coverage does not. Policy terms control insurance benefits.

Ask the facility and insurer to explain covered days, copayments, authorization requirements, and what notice you will receive if coverage ends.

How it differs from other care

• Assisted living provides housing and personal care; skilled nursing provides 24-hour licensed nursing and rehabilitation. See our FAQ on the difference.
• Memory care provides dementia-focused supervision and routines. Some people with dementia also need skilled nursing because of their medical conditions.
• In-home care is non-medical help. Home health can provide intermittent skilled services at home but is not the same as continuous facility-based nursing.

Questions to ask

• Is the plan short-term rehabilitation or long-term care, and what goals determine discharge?
• What were the facility's actual nurse and nursing-assistant hours per resident in recent reports?
• What do the latest inspection findings and corrective actions say?
• Which therapies have been ordered, how often are they scheduled, and who provides them?
• Do you accept ALTCS for long-term stays?

Prepare for a discharge decision

Ask the discharge team for the clinical recommendation, a list of available facilities, and the date a decision is needed. Confirm network status and coverage directly with the health plan, and review Medicare Care Compare. If assisted living or memory care is also being considered, we can identify partner communities; families do not pay for our placement service, and a participating community may pay us after a successful move. Request information for that comparison.

Skilled Nursing costs by East Valley city (2026)

Figures are typical 2026 monthly rates compiled from current East Valley rate sheets and published cost surveys. See our East Valley Cost Report for how published sources compare, and request a free consultation for current rates at specific communities.