As patient acuity and hospital capacity issues rise, specialized facilities like long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals with a unique set of highly-trained interdisciplinary care teams are playing a crucial role in delivering better clinical and quality health services for critically, chronically ill patients with the most complex medical conditions. By understanding the distinct capabilities of LTACH hospitals, payers have the potential to improve patient outcomes and lower costs.
To learn more about the capabilities and advantages of specialty hospitals, Becker's Healthcare recently spoke with Dean French, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of ScionHealth.
Some specialty hospitals go beyond traditional LTAC hospital services
According to Dr. French, CMS' criteria for an LTAC hospital admission is that more than 50 percent of patients must have three or more days in the ICU or 96 or more hours on a ventilator with an additional requirement that patients are expected to have a length of stay of 25 or more days in a long-term acute care hospital.
While most ScionHealth LTAC Hospital patients meet these criteria, they also treat patients with a diverse array of medical conditions, including patients who have a higher degree of complexity but with a shorter length of stay. Here, Dr. French mentions younger patients recovering from severe trauma, an acute neurologic event, or severe sepsis.
"That's a perfect space for a specialty hospital to step in," Dr. French said. "We have this specialized focus on these patients, which allows us to be very efficient in our resources."
With ScionHealth's large national footprint, more patient populations have access to their hospitals and better care. They operate more than 90 acute care hospitals and LTAC hospitals in 28 states.
Their specialty hospitals encompass the Kindred Hospitals, Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals and Solara Specialty Hospitals, which are all certified as long-term acute care hospitals that specialize in treating complex patients who have more than one serious condition.
Staffing and treatment capabilities as differentiators
Where some hospitals are dealing with a lack of access to specialists and physicians, ScionHealth's specialty hospitals utilize a full staff of physicians who specialize in cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, nephrology, infectious diseases and more. Each specialty hospital has a multidisciplinary team of providers along with wound care teams, respiratory therapy teams, clinical pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists, and registered dieticians who can ensure that complex patients' medical needs are met.
These capabilities enable ScionHealth's specialty hospitals to take care of patients with a complex set of needs, including those who suffer traumatic brain injuries and kidney failures. With a continued concern over the availability of ventilators, specialty hospitals are also in a unique position to help care for patients on ventilators and potentially reduce the time they need them.
Advantages for both patients and payers
ScionHealth's expertise and focus on complex patients helps to deliver superior outcomes and shorter lengths of stay. Both are important benchmarks for financial success and patient satisfaction. Not having to support other lines of care is what Dr. French cites as the primary driver behind LTAC hospitals' potential long-term cost savings opportunities. This lowers per-day expenditures, he said, as patients are treated in less time and costs are lower than average ICU stays in traditional hospitals.
"We provide high-quality, acute-level care for complex patients and we can save payers money in the process and improve outcomes," Dr. French said. "There's a great opportunity for us to be strategic partners in caring for outlier patients."