She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis - a degenerative and deadly lung disease - when she was only three months old, but that never stopped Tara and she always lived her life to the fullest. She finally received a double-lung transplant on New Year's Day - and although the road to recovery has been incredibly challenging, she has never wavered in her determination to get her life back. This is her story.

"I've been incredibly fortunate to have been able to do so much during my life, even with the burden of CF (cystic fibrosis)" Tara shared. "I did all the normal kid things, grew up, played soccer in college, got a BS in Math, and oh yeah! I met my husband on the UC Davis double-decker bus - he was the driver and I was the conductor. We saw each other in the mirror, went on a date and well, the rest is history as they say!"

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Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation Centers bridge the gap between hospital and home. When patients leave a traditional hospital, they often need continued care to recover completely. That’s where we come in.

While all Kindred centers care for patients with pulmonary diagnoses, some centers offer additional and advanced capabilities to care for these patients. Our pulmonary program is designed to help patients achieve positive outcomes through evidence-based clinical care so that each patient can reach his or her highest level of functioning – all with the combination of critical thinking and clinical excellence that has made Kindred a leader in the field.

 

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Patients, their family members and friends are often overwhelmed during care transitions so we have compiled some frequently asked questions about our transitional care hospitals. Whether you are a patient, loved one or healthcare professional, here are a few things about our transitional care hospitals you should know: Read Full Post

The American Lung Association (ALA) released its 15th annual State of the Air report. The data is compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and analyzed by the ALA with the purpose of educating people about the air they breathe and how they can work to make air cleaner for better health.

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The typical stay at a traditional hospital is five days. At Kindred Transitional Care Hospitals, the length of stay may be measured in weeks, not days. Why? Because we know that not all patients can recover in five days or less. Some have underlying conditions that make illnesses or other conditions harder to treat. Others are still too ill to return home.

At Kindred Hospitals, we offer a range of services to help patients who need additional time to recover, and the length of the stay depends on the needs of the patient. This includes the specialized services of our Subacute Units, where we work with patients who have an acute illness or injury or worsening of a disease but no longer need the aggressive level of care provided in a hospital. We offer short-term comprehensive inpatient medical care and rehabilitation that is designed to get the patient home or to a facility such as a skilled nursing center.

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Just as there are different kinds of patients, there are different kinds of hospitals. Kindred Transitional Care Hospitals provide a wide range of services to help patients with complex medical issues who need additional recovery time after a stay at a traditional hospital. While every patient receives individualized care from a team of healthcare professionals, our goal is for each person to reach the highest level of recovery before discharge.

With our Direct Admit Program, physicians can admit medically complex patients from short-term acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health and other service providers directly to a Kindred Hospital. We work directly with physicians to make sure their patients have a smooth transition into our hospitals and the highest level of care continuity to prevent future readmissions.

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When Edward came to a Kindred Hospital, he was on a ventilator after respiratory complications following major surgery. Edward is one of many patients who need extra care and more time to recover after a short-term hospital stay. Kindred Hospital is part of a nationwide network of Kindred Transitional Care Hospitals that help bridge the gap between short-term hospitalization and home.

Many of the patients we see can’t breathe on their own, or they have a condition that makes them prone to more complications with an illness or injury. Kindred Hospitals have been focused on these medically complex patients for more than two decades. We helped develop the long-term model of care for patients who can’t get better during a short-term stay. Our facilities and services are designed to provide this extra level of care, and every patient has a team of healthcare professionals dedicated to achieving the fullest and quickest recovery possible.

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Illinois Family Home Health Services (IFHHS), an affiliate of Kindred at Home, originally developed a Care Transition Program in anticipation of and in response to the October 1, 2012, hospital readmission reimbursement cuts. With the changing landscape of healthcare, IFHHS sought to improve on its better-than-average hospital readmission rates and develop these programs with the needs of hospital discharges in mind.

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“Every day clinicians in Kindred hospitals across the nation provide critical pulmonary care to patients suffering from chronic conditions or acute illnesses. We are dedicated to providing the best medical care to provide healing and recovery. But we are also focused on efforts that prevent cardio-pulmonary disease.

For this reason, we have historically supported the American Lung Association (ALA) through participation in, fundraising for and sponsorship of their walks, cycling adventures and climbs around the country," says Jeffrey Winter, Executive Vice President and President, Kindred Hospital Division.

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Respected pulmonologists Thomas Petty, MD, and Kent Christopher, MD, played important roles in turning would-be surgeon Eric Yaeger, MD, Medical Director of Kindred Hospital Denver, into the prolific expert and outstanding pulmonary clinician he is today.

“I was thinking of surgery, or maybe interventional radiology, but then as a resident I met two very influential leaders in pulmonary critical care,” Dr. Yaeger said. He has never looked back.

Both Dr. Petty and Dr. Christopher were pioneers and leaders in the continued development of transtracheal oxygen therapy, which optimizes oxygen therapy for patients by delivering it directly into the trachea and bypassing the nose, which can cause challenges related to discomfort and anatomical breakdown. Dr. Yaeger took the transtracheal baton and has continued to advance the field through his work at Kindred and industry partnerships.

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