Intermediate (Nursing) Care Facilities – are an excellent option for people who have medical conditions that permanently require intermittent or frequent nursing services. Intermediate care facilities are rarely stand-alone (rather part of a Skilled Nursing Facilities), and the greatest benefit is the nursing and physician services available daily. At some skilled nursing facilities, when a person receiving rehabilitation is no longer eligible for Medicare reimbursement, he or she is allowed to stay at the facility as an intermediate nursing patient without worrying about being suddenly discharged from the facility. However, the setting at an intermediate care facility can feel very clinical, and despite often robust recreational activities available, long-term patients often find it difficult to connect with other patients in a meaningful way.

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Unfortunately, some people who do not necessarily need nursing services find themselves without the option to move to into a residential or community care arrangement because of they may have disruptive behavior, or simply because residential care facilities are unwilling to accommodate their intensive physical needs. Since caregiver to patient ratios at intermediate nursing facilities tend to be very low, it is very easy for patients to feel dissatisfied at an intermediate care facility if they do not need frequent nursing services.

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For a list of Intermediate Care Facilities in Hawaii, please visit the Office of Health Care Assurance Medicare Section website.