What is Cornerstone Hospital?
- It is a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTAC)
- Multi-site system
- Interdisciplinary approach
Why refer a patient to Cornerstone Hospital?
- Daily physician visits
- Once a physician is credentialed, he/she can follow their patients or they can request one of the staff physicians to follow their patients during hospitalization - patients are sent back to referring physician upon discharge
- 24 hour in-house nursing care and Respiratory Therapy
- ACLS trained nurses and RTs
- Rehabilitation Services (PT, OT, ST)
What is an LTAC Hospital?
Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals (LTACHs) are specialty care hospitals designed for extended stay patients with chronic conditions. Patients are admitted to LTACHs following treatment in a traditional acute care hospital, but they no longer require intensive diagnostic procedures. The care provided is more individualized and resource-intensive than is provided in a skilled nursing facility or nursing home.
LTACHs operate as freestanding facilities or as a "hospital within a hospital," with each type of facility operating under a different set of regulations. The average length of stay for LTACH patients is 25 days or greater. Under Medicare guidelines, patients admitted to LTACHs must be in need of hospitalization for greater than 25 days and typically have multiple or complex medical complications.
What types of patients can benefit from Cornerstone Hospital?
Patients with a variety of medical conditions, which may include:
- amputation
- brain injury
- cardiovascular conditions
- general neurological disorders
- infections/infectious disease
- oncology
- post surgical
- pulmonary/respiratory conditions
- stroke
- trauma
- ventilator dependent
- wound care
What are LTAC Hospitals within hospitals?
A third party-owned acute care hospital occupying part of a building also used by another "host" acute care hospital is known as a hospital-within-hospital LTAC. There are approximately 80 hospital-within-hospital LTACs in the country, and this number is growing. A hospital-within-hospital LTAC must be separately owned and licensed, must maintain a separate board and administrative structure and must have a separate medical staff. The hospital must operate for a minimum of six months under acute care PPS to establish its average length of stay at greater than 25 days before it can be certified by HCFA as a long term acute care hospital for Medicare payment. In general, hospital-within-hospital LTACs have a better opportunity to manage within the cost cap established by the BBA of 1997 for PPS-exempt facilities. This is because they do not have all of the overhead costs of a freestanding LTAC, and they may be able to contract for ancillary services with the host at a better rate than in the marketplace.
What types of services are offered at Cornerstone LTAC hospitals?
- Pulmonary Medicine - Specialized care for patients with acute or chronic respiratory disorders who may have tracheostomies, ventilators or require extensive respiratory treatments to maintain normal breathing without mechanical support.
- Wound Management - Designed for patients with impaired tissue integrity or who are at high risk for complications.
- Medically Complex - Designed for patients who require diverse medical services. Programs are specifically designed to meet the needs of patients with catastrophic illnesses that require focused nursing care and therapy.
- Medical Rehabilitation - Designed for patients whe require a wide range of medical rehabilitation needs from basic mobility, self care, swallowing and strength endurance to preparation for their return to an independent living situation.
What happens to those patients who need special care programs and are too sick to leave the hospital environment?
The patient could enter the "hospital within a hospital," a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) housed within an acute hospital. LTACHs are extended-stay specialty hospitals for chronically ill and rehabilitation patients whose average length of stay is 25 days or more. Patients in LTACHs typically require long acute stays for such diagnoses as pulmonary and/or tracheotomy care, ventilator weaning, critical care issues, infectious diseases, medically complex care and extensive wound management.
What are the admissions criteria for an LTAC hospital?
- an established medical condition
- an anticipated length of stay of 20-30 days
- family/caregiver resources identified to assist with discharge planning
- capability to be weaned from ventilator
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