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.

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Not all care settings are created equal, as acknowledged by the American Hospital Association. 1 Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) provide the high-quality, specialized care needed to treat patients with varying high-acuity needs. This is an important differentiator for patients and their families as they become increasingly involved in the selection of their care settings. Read Full Post

While they can be a lesser known post-acute setting, long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) provide substantial benefits for hospitals. From helping to reduce rehospitalizations to providing more specialized care for the most medically complex patients, LTACHs can be an important part of hospital’s market expansion strategy and community ecosystem. Read Full Post

Due to massive shifts taking place in healthcare consumer behaviors, health systems are looking for ways to effectively respond to current and future patient needs. In doing so, a hospital can further leverage their strengths to expand across the care continuum and position themselves ahead of industry disruptors and other competition.

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Concerns over facility-based care and risk of exposure during the pandemic have led to a massive shift in consumerism—changing the methods in which individual’s research, select and receive various forms of care. This shift was compounded by the fact that many healthcare consumers who are responsible for an increasing share of their healthcare costs are looking for convenience and affordability, just like other services they pay for, and that some healthcare settings may be better than others for themselves or their loved ones. In order for health systems to effectively respond, they must first know and understand the shifts that are causing consumers to “shop” differently for their care. Read Full Post

A recent article from Health Leaders noted that the pressure to do so has substantially increased throughout COVID-19, especially since 138 local community hospitals have closed since 2010. Read Full Post

As the medical complexity of patients continues to increase, it is important for providers to be flexible in their ability to respond to current and future patient needs. But flexibility isn’t just important in an immediate crisis – it’s something healthcare leaders should be considering amid a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Read Full Post

In the past, when determining the most effective care setting for chronically-ill and medically complex patients, health systems often viewed short-term acute care hospitals (STACHs) as the best option. However, as current data continues to highlight the benefits of LTACHs for patient recovery, many hospitals are beginning to integrate long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) into their care continuum. Read Full Post

Common misconceptions surrounding long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) have hindered health systems from including LTACHs in their market expansion strategies - ultimately limiting access to critical care options for medically complex patients. However, as health systems begin to uncover the true value of LTACH integration, they can start begin to reap the benefits it provides to patient care, outcomes, and hospital efficiencies. Read Full Post

Providing specialized care for the medically complex has become a vital aspect to a hospital’s care continuum, however, health systems are often not well-equipped to address the growing patient needs and fluctuating regulatory changes. As recently noted, being able to rely on an experience LTACH partner can help generate lower average post-acute length of stay as well as reduce the risk for readmission. Further, there are additional benefits when it comes to integrating an LTACH through a strategic partnership. Read Full Post