The Skilled Nursing Facility is a 29-bed unit located on the 4th floor, west wing of North Mississippi Medical Center. Primary diagnoses of eligible patients include, but are not limited to, orthopedic injuries such as simple fracture or joint replacements, general debilitation, post op cardiac surgery, stroke or brain injury.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Glennal Verbois, M.D., is the unit’s medical director. Physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Brian Condit, M.D., and geriatrician Ken Davis, M.D., also admit patients to the unit. 

The NMMC Skilled Nursing Facility  is a Medicare certified facility. It is not a Medicaid certified facility. Private insurance companies vary from policy to policy. The rehabilitation case manager will verify benefits, pre-certify admissions and negotiate payment with the insurance company. If the patient has no insurance, our business office will help set up a payment plan or help to complete a charity application.

The Skilled Nursing Facility provides 24-hour nursing care, as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social services, recreational activities and respiratory therapy.

To be admitted to the unit, the patient must have experienced a recent hospital stay of at least three nights. Patients must be medically stable and require skilled care. The expected length of stay in the Skilled Nursing  Facility is 14-21 days. Arrangements for follow-up care must be established prior to admission.

The Skilled Nursing  Facility will serve persons who have functional limitations secondary to physical impairment and who have potential to participate in and benefit from a comprehensive skilled nursing/subacute rehabilitation program. This is determined by the pre-admission assessment completed on each patient referred to the Skilled Nursing Facility.

Visiting Hours
Visitors are not permitted to stay overnight with patients except in certain circumstances as requested by the patient's physician. Visitors are encouraged to visit between 5-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 3-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Physician Referral
Physician offices may fax medical records to (662) 377-4119 for the rehabilitation physician to review. The Rehabilitation Case Manager will notify you of the recommendation and admission time frame.

Ineligible patients include:

	Patient on high flow oxygen (over 5 L/M or 40% via ventura trach mask)/frequent suctioning (every four hours)
	Chest tubes/ventilator patients
	Cardiac monitoring
	Fever equal to or greater than 101.5 degrees in the last 24 hours
	Pulmonary isolation
	Ranchos level 3 or less
	Patient greater than 350 pounds, unless requiring only minimal assistance with bed mobility and transfers
	Hostile, aggressive, combative or disruptive patients
	Patients receiving IV chemotherapy or continuous parenteral opiates
	Direct admission from ICU/ER - must be out of the unit and medically stable for 24 hours
	Patients with untreated chemical dependency addiction or mental illness which will preclude full participation in the skilled nursing and rehabilitation program
	Pediatric patients

Rehabilitation case managers will coordinate evaluation and admission to the
 NMMC Skilled Nursing  Facility. For more information, call (662) 377-4058.