Yes. Skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes) are licensed under a separate rule chapter, Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 132, distinct from the CBRF, RCAC, and AFH chapters that govern community-based settings, and provide 24-hour licensed nursing care.
What this means in practice
This separate licensing track matters because nursing homes are the one Wisconsin senior-care category that also receives a federal CMS Care Compare star rating, in addition to the state's own survey and inspection record -- a second, independently useful data point that simply doesn't exist for CBRFs, RCACs, or adult family homes. If your parent needs 24-hour skilled nursing rather than the lighter supervision a CBRF provides, checking both the Wisconsin DQA survey record and the CMS Care Compare rating gives you a fuller picture than either one alone. Rehab-focused, short-term nursing-home stays after a hospital discharge are also billed differently under Medicare than a long-term nursing-home placement, which is worth asking about explicitly.
Related questions
- Does Wisconsin have one 'assisted living license' like some other states?
- What is a CBRF in Wisconsin?
- What is an RCAC and how is it different from a CBRF?
- What is an Adult Family Home (AFH) in Wisconsin?
- How do I check whether a Milwaukee-area facility's license is current?
- Who licenses and regulates senior care facilities in Wisconsin?
- What happens if I have a complaint about a Milwaukee-area facility's care?
