Long-Term Acute Care Facilities

Oftentimes, the complexity of a patient’s condition may not allow for discharge from an acute care setting to their prior place of residence. Instead, the patient may be deemed more suitable for continued care in a long-term acute care facility (LTAC). I had the opportunity to care for a patient who underwent a complex discharge process, as he required long-term mechanical ventilation. To fully understand the intricacy of his discharge, it is important to recognize pertinent assessment data, interdisciplinary reports, and imperative discharge needs. To begin, there are many pieces of assessment data that contribute to the complexity of this patient’s discharge. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from The Hume Home of
The nature and current status of his respiratory condition implied that he would require a prolonged weaning process. Due to insurance policies and ventilator charges, it has been confirmed that LTAC facilities are more cost-effective than prolonged ICU stays (Donahoe, 2012). Aside from agency revenue, LTAC facilities offer many physiological benefits for patients. In fact, LTAC facilities are notable for their success with weaning high-acuity ventilator patients (Donahoe, 2012). Knowing this, my patient’s case manager contacted Great Lakes Specialty Hospital. He was accepted and discharged into their care after spending eight days at Hackley Hospital. In conclusion, the complexity of this patient’s discharge was a valued learning experience for me. Although many interdisciplinary team members were involved in the care and discharge of this complicated patient, the case manager played a vital role in the effectiveness of his discharge from the acute care setting. I gathered education regarding the benefits of LTAC facilities and, furthermore, understood why his case manager believed he would have the greatest potential for health progression at Great Lakes Specialty