Healthcare Headlines Blog

Supported by an abundance of research, the existence of disparities in health and healthcare has become a pivotal issue and influential organizations across the nation are taking steps to mitigate these challenges. For example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has created a tool for evaluating patients’ health-related social needs (HRSNs) and The Joint Commission, which has accredited more than 22,000 US healthcare organizations and programs, has developed new requirements for hospital accreditation designed to reduce healthcare disparities. Read Full Post

Kindred Hospitals provide specialized long-term acute care and rehabilitation for medically complex patients. With physician-led, interdisciplinary care and disease-specific certifications from The Joint Commission, we provide seriously ill or injured patients with the high-quality acute care they need, for the time they need it. Read Full Post

Selecting the appropriate discharge destination for a patient leaving the ICU is a key component of improving outcomes and reducing readmissions. This decision makes understanding the differences between care settings essential. Read Full Post

LTACHs are equipped to treat many of the same conditions that are treated in traditional ICUs at short-term acute care hospitals (STACHs), but are designed to do so for a longer period of time. A look at the top diagnosis-related groups treated at STACH and LTACH ICUs reveals overlap between six of the top 10 conditions treated at each setting. Read Full Post

As patients age and develop an increasing number of comorbidities, including diabetes and obesity, they are more prone to developing wounds and to experiencing longer, more complex recoveries.[1] Chronic wound patients also often experience psychological side effects such as loneliness and depression, which can further impede the healing process and contribute to readmissions. Read Full Post

Kindred Hospitals provide specialized acute care and rehabilitation for medically complex patients leaving the ICU or med-surg unit. Take a look at 5 care initiatives at Kindred that help improve outcomes and reduce readmissions. Read Full Post

While long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are often misunderstood as offering the same level of care, the unique expertise and resources available at LTACHs allow them to improve outcomes for medically complex patients. Below are 5 key differences between LTACH and SNF settings that impact medically complex patient recovery and readmission rates. Read Full Post

Early discharge of respiratory failure patients to Kindred Hospitals can help improve outcomes, decrease inpatient length of stay, and reduce readmissions. Read Full Post

For critically ill patients, a timely referral to a Kindred specialty hospital, which provides continued acute care and early rehabilitation, can improve patient outcomes.

Additionally, because Kindred offers ICU-level care, stable patients can be transferred to a Kindred specialty hospital while they are still in a critical condition, shortening their inpatient lengths of stay.

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Discharge decisions may contribute to the significant healthcare challenges associated with sepsis. Though sepsis patients are often discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), recent data demonstrates that referral to long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), which provide continued acute care for critically complex patents, can improve outcomes and reduce readmissions. Read Full Post