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Long Term Acute Hospital Care

In most of the cases that are referred to our Hospital, the patient has already spent a significant amount of time in the ICU or short-term acute care hospital setting. An Intensive Care Unit is utilized for short stays for individuals who are medically unstable. Diagnostic procedures are accomplished during the ICU stay and the plan of treatment is established. For those patients with plans of treatment requiring extended or prolonged medical attention, the ICU is not an optimal option. With the changes in the healthcare environment and the escalating costs associated with ICU hospitalization, the Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) provides a cost effective alternative to Short Term Acute Hospital care.

Many times patients have a need for a longer hospital stay due to the existence of multiple medical problems, injury, trauma or unexpected medical complications. Many times these patients are too ill to move into rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, or subacute residential settings.

Staying an average of 25 days at an LTACH, patients can receive the specialized care they need to maximize their medical status and level of independence before being transferred to the next appropriate care facility or discharged home. The LTACH can continue the established plan of care and provide the necessary complex clinical and medical services on an extended basis and at a lower cost.