Healthcare Headlines Blog

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

The healthcare industry continues to pilot new ways of delivering care that align patient, provider, and payer incentives. Medically complex patients remain a key population due to higher costs associated with the intensity of treatment and length of recovery time required. The latest innovation in care delivery, an expansion of the accountable care organization (ACO) called ACO REACH, is pushing further into addressing the needs of these patients. Learn more about the program and how long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) can play a role in achieving the goals of the newest model. Read Full Post

Cedar Gate Technologies conducted a review of claims data of ACO beneficiaries treated at LTACHs and SNFs in Las Vegas. They found that readmission rates and Medicare spending were lower for patients who discharged to LTACHs, and lowest for those discharging to Kindred LTACHs specifically. Cedar Gate concluded that LTACHs can deliver improved outcomes and cost savings for complex patients. Read Full Post

Medically complex patients, who comprise a small but growing percentage of the patient population, often require one or more post-acute care (PAC) providers along a recovery journey that can span a number of weeks. Ensuring patients are receiving the most appropriate level of care can help improve and expedite recovery. Read Full Post

This article highlights how the MCG Health Clinical Indications for Admission to LTACHs have been revised based on the latest clinical research showing the benefits of timely discharge of ventilated patients to LTACHs.

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