Hospital flexibility has never been more important, especially as a growing number of patients are experiencing comorbidities – requiring multiple levels of care and longer stay periods. To avoid transferring patients outside of the system and risking the potential for readmission, hospitals are finding great benefit in long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) integration alongside their other post-acute offerings.
This can take the form of constructing a freestanding facility or establishing a hospital-in-hospital (HiH) structure. Both options are centered on providing patients the specialized care they need in a setting that requires minimal transfer and seamless care continuity. For example, by incorporating an HiH structure, hospitals can offer specialty services within their current health campus.
The HiH co-location method, combining multiple levels of medical, rehabilitative and psychological services in one location, also creates continuity between physician and specialist oversight throughout a patient’s care journey. This level of continuity can help ensure that if a patient requires a higher level of care quickly, they are able to be re-located to another setting onsite without the need for transfer. This allows providers to efficiently and effectively meet changing patient needs and preferences.
Now more than ever, having a streamlined care approach within the hospital is crucial for patient and hospital outcomes, as well as overall hospital flexibility.
Co-location supports value-based models of care
In addition to creating more continuity around patient care, the co-location structure of services creates greater opportunity to meet broader patient needs through specialized care settings, and therefore allows their patients to more easily access high quality services in one location.
Implementing the co-location model in a hospital’s care continuum can positively impact factors such as patient loyalty, service optimization and financial stability. For all of these reasons, co-location is expected to continue to see substantial growth across post-acute settings.
Read our white paper, “Market Expansion Strategies and Trends: Benefits of LTACH Integration” to uncover additional strategies around market expansion and how your hospital can meet the opportunity within your community.