Map which Chapter 8 bases apply, then show the need is daily and can be met only in a SNF (the practical-matter test). This is what a coverage reviewer looks for on a Part A day.
Covered skilled procedure; observation & assessment
Post-operative neck care is a skilled service under Chapter 8, and the post-thyroidectomy/neck-surgery course and a thyroid crisis carry a reasonable potential for a life-threatening airway or metabolic complication that requires daily nursing judgment to detect.
