Leaving UCHealth, Penrose or St. Francis: A Colorado Springs Hospital Discharge Checklist

The hospitals and the nearest certified nursing home

Source: CDPHE Health Facilities data updated September 29, 2026 and Find and Compare records retrieved November 6, 2026. Source: CMS Care Compare Provider Information, data as of October 1, 2026.

Distances are straight lines between mapped points. The nearest home is not necessarily the right one; it is a starting point for the list the case manager will hand you.

Before the discharge meeting

Ask the case manager whether your parent is an inpatient or under observation. Medicare's skilled nursing benefit needs three inpatient midnights; observation days do not count. Ask what physical and occupational therapy found about walking, transfers and stairs, and whether your parent can manage medications alone.

Bring a list of what home looks like: stairs, a bathroom on the main floor, who lives there, and who can help. Discharge plans are only as good as the information the team has.

Choosing the rehab home

You choose. Narrow the list to Medicare-certified homes near the family, then check each on our nursing home pages: CMS stars, the latest deficiencies, staffing hours and turnover, and CDPHE occurrence reports. Call to confirm a bed and ask how many hours of therapy residents typically get each day and whether therapy continues on weekends.

Military retirees with TRICARE For Life usually have the day-21 coinsurance covered; Medicare Advantage members need the plan's authorization before transfer.

Planning what comes after rehab

Rehab ends when progress stops or skilled care is no longer needed, often well before day 100. Use the time: tour assisted living residences, ask for pre-admission assessments, and start a Health First Colorado application if money will be short. Ask the rehab social worker for a family meeting a week before coverage is expected to end.

What to bring to the discharge meeting

A list of current medications and doctors, the powers of attorney, insurance cards including TRICARE or a Medicare Advantage plan, a description of the home's layout and who lives there, and a list of questions. Ask for the therapy notes and the discharge summary in writing; they will be needed by the rehab home, the assisted living residence or the home health agency.

If your parent is going home, ask who will order home health, when the first visit will happen, which equipment is needed and who delivers it. Ask for a follow-up appointment with the primary care doctor within a week.

If the plan does not feel safe

Say so, in writing, to the case manager and the attending physician. Ask what other options exist and whether a short rehab stay or home health could bridge the gap. Medicare patients can appeal a discharge they believe is premature through the quality improvement organization named on the notice they receive.

Families who ask clear questions early usually get a better plan than families who wait until the afternoon of discharge.

After the transfer: the first week in rehab

Within the first few days the rehab home will hold an admission care conference. Go, or join by phone. Ask what the goals are, how many therapy sessions are planned, what the expected length of stay is and what would have to be true for your parent to go home. Ask who the social worker is and how to reach them.

Visit at different times. Notice whether call lights are answered, whether your parent is out of bed for meals, and whether therapy actually happens each weekday. If something looks wrong, raise it with the charge nurse first, then the director of nursing; if it is not fixed, the Pikes Peak long-term care ombudsman at (719) 471-2096 can help. Keep a short written log of what you see and when; it makes later conversations much more productive.