What Is The Medicare 72 Hour Rule? 
One Medicare 72 hour rule is the rule that dictates that you must spend at least three days , or 72 hours , as an inpatient in the hospital before you can be discharged to a Medicare bed in a skilled nursing facility . This means three consecutive nights after being formally admitted as an inpatient . Inpatient status may not necessarily begin the first night spent in the hospital . Another Medicare 72 hour rule relates to billing . It states that services receives 72 hours before a hospitalization must be bundled into one bill . 