Have you heard about long-term acute care?
It’s definitely not in your home and should not be confused with a rehabilitation center or nursing home. Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) treat patients with serious medical conditions that no longer require intensive care. It’s all about delivering the right care, at the right place, at the right time.
We caught up with Tina Gross, director of clinical services at Sparrow Specialty Hospital, to clarify why LTACHs are leaders in leveraging a team-based approach to patient care. Here are the takeaways:
Case management is critical – each patient in the 36-bed hospital has a care plan that drives the work of the team
Tuesday team rounds make all the difference – the hospital’s 15-member care team huddles each week for two hours to coordinate their care, and even welcomes family members into the mix
Conflict is nothing communication can’t fix – all team members are oriented to appreciate their shared, singular role as an ICARE caregiver, instead of emphasizing discharges
Handoffs are the next big thing – Tina and her team work with sub-acute care partners during care transitions to address issues like hearing loss stemming from certain antibiotics
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