This is general information, not a coverage decision and not medical advice. Rules change, and a Medicare Advantage plan can differ from Original Medicare. Confirm a specific stay with Medicare, the plan, the hospital discharge planner, or your county Aging and Disability Resource Connection.
Inpatient rehabilitation and a skilled nursing stay are different licenses. A comprehensive rehabilitation hospital is licensed by the Department of Health as a hospital for intensive inpatient rehab. A skilled nursing stay is in a nursing home, including some hospital-based subacute units. Which one fits is a clinical decision. This page only separates the public categories.
The 3-hour rule
CMS review guidelines say an intensive rehabilitation therapy program generally consists of at least 3 hours of therapy a day at least 5 days a week, or at least 15 hours a week. Therapy can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, or prosthetics and orthotics, and one of them must be physical or occupational therapy. CMS also says this schedule is not the only way to show that the therapy is intensive. A reviewer looks at the individual record.
A nursing home does not use that hospital standard. Medicare skilled nursing needs daily skilled care ordered by a clinician. It does not require three hours of therapy a day.
How many of these hospitals are in the directory
This directory lists 12 New Jersey Department of Health licenses for a comprehensive rehabilitation hospital. That count is the license file this site publishes. It is not a quality ranking, and it does not say which hospital is appropriate. Open the inpatient rehabilitation list to see them on equal footing.
The Next Right Step is free for families. No facility, agency, or provider pays to be listed, ranked, or recommended, and we don't receive referral fees. If we ever accept a sponsor, that listing will be clearly labeled “Sponsored,” and this note will be updated.
Questions families ask
What is the 3-hour rule?
CMS describes an intensive rehabilitation therapy program as generally at least 3 hours of therapy a day at least 5 days a week, or at least 15 hours a week. It also says that is not the only way to show intensity.
How many inpatient rehab hospitals does this directory list in New Jersey?
12. That is the count of Department of Health licenses in this directory for a comprehensive rehabilitation hospital. It is not a ranking.
Keep reading
- Inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in this directory
- Short-term rehab in nursing homes
- Rehab, a nursing home, or home health
Sources
- CMS, inpatient rehabilitation facility review guidelines
The intensive therapy standard, generally 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, or 15 hours a week.
Source dated 2026-10-14
- New Jersey Department of Health, acute care file
Comprehensive rehabilitation hospitals are licensed as hospitals, not as nursing homes.
Source dated 2026-10-13
- Medicare.gov coverage descriptions
Skilled nursing needs daily skilled care and, usually, a 3-day inpatient hospital stay.
Source dated 2026-10-14
- New Jersey Department of Health, long-term care file
Nursing home licenses, including hospital-based subacute units.
Source dated 2026-10-13