How does discharge planning work differently between Kaleida Health, Catholic Health, and Erie County Medical Center?
Kaleida Health (Buffalo General/Gates Vascular, Millard Fillmore Suburban, and others), Catholic Health (Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Sisters of Charity, Kenmore Mercy), and Erie County Medical Center each run their own internal discharge planning and care coordination teams, and small differences in process, paperwork, or preferred rehab partners can exist between them. What doesn't vary is the underlying federal Medicare rule: a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days generally opens eligibility for a limited period of Medicare-covered skilled nursing rehab. If your family member is at a different hospital than expected, or transfers between these systems, ask the current hospital's discharge planner directly rather than assuming what worked at one system applies at another.
