What is a Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH)? |
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Long Term Acute Care Hospitals provide intense treatment for patients who need at least 25 days of stay in a hospital. Long Term Care Hospitals can be one of two types: a hospital within a hospital (HWH) or a standalone facility. There are approximately 400 LTACHs nationwide. It used to be that the only patients you would find in a long term acute care hospital were ventilator dependent patients. Not so, anymore. These highly specialized hospitals also offer a quality care environment for wound care, ulcers, renal failure and respiratory distress patients such as those with COPD and Pneumonia. |
LTACHs are committed to provide:
- Physicians who are actively reviewing patient progress daily and are available on site.
- Consulting physicians who can respond to individual patient care needs to enhance the care process, especially important with patients with many co-morbidities.
- A comprehensive integrated patient review process that provides for screening patients continuously (pre admission and throughout stay) for appropriateness of stay in long term acute care environment.
- Interdisciplinary teams to collaborate and carry out the treatment plans for each patient. These teams consist of different health care providers such as physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, etc.
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When Should a LTACH be considered? |
Physicians typically consider transferring a patient from a short term to a long term acute care hospital when the patient doesn’t respond to treatment as expected. Common patient types transferred to long term hospitals include those:
- Who require ventilator treatment and need to be weaned from being ventilator dependent.
- With multiple admissions to hospitals with respiratory failure or COPD
- With new tracheostomy post open heart or other surgery
- With complex medical problems that result in frequent hospitalization
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How Do You Choose the Best LTACH?
Regular, short term hospitals are the main admission sources for patients needing long term acute care. That means your physician will likely recommend one or two LTACHs if one is required. However, you still have a choice. We suggest you do your research before you accept his or her recommendation. Take the following characteristics into consideration before choosing a long term acute care hospital:
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1. Location
Make sure the LTACH is close enough for loved ones to be able to visit frequently. Studies show that family involvement in hospitalizations prevents medical errors and assists in patient recovery.
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2. QualityCheck the LTACH’s WTFC Quality Score to see how others rated its quality. Quality data from user surveys are obtained in real-time from people who have been experience with a LTACH and have submitted a review on WhereToFindCare.com. The WTFC Quality Score is the percentage of people who rated the LTACH on WhereToFindCare.com and said they received quality care. This experience-based satisfaction score cannot be found elsewhere today except by word of mouth.
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3. Recommendations |
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Check the LTACH’s WTFC Would You Recommend score to see if others recommend it. Word of mouth recommendations are very important. They can tell us whether we can get along with providers on a personal level.
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You can read other people’s experience by going to a provider’s page on WhereToFindCare.com and clicking on the Survey Results tab. There you see how others answered survey questions, and any comments made about the provider. Also look for CareStars™ recognition. People may have left comments about exceptional caregivers at each LTACH. CareStars™ comments give you a sense that the LTACH employs caring individuals that will provide the service you need.
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If you’ve had an experience with a LTACH, please rate it on WhereToFindCare.com and help others find quality health care.
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Information on WheretoFindCare.com
is for informational purposes only. See the disclaimer on the
Terms of Service page.
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