What is subacute care?
Subacute care defines the level of care between the hospital (acute care) and home. Patients who have had an illness or condition requiring hospitalization and are not yet capable of going home need a place to receive goal oriented, comprehensive complex medical and rehabilitation care. The care is delivered in an inpatient setting where the supervision and intensity of services is greater than at home and yet doesn’t necessitate the very expensive services found in the acute hospital setting.
[top]What kind of care will I receive as a subacute patient?
Subacute care requires the coordinated services of an interdisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, case managers, physical, occupational and speech therapists as well as other medical professionals. Based on their evaluation of your medical needs, a personalized course of treatment will be developed utilizing state of the art procedures developed by experts in the field. Your individualized course of treatment will require frequent patient assessments by a physician of the clinical care and treatment plan. The care regiment you receive will be focused directly on your needs of the moment.
[top]Will I be going to a nursing home?
The facilities in our Network have dedicated units for their short-term subacute patients. Most of these units have their own dining rooms as well as recreation rooms. As in a hospital most rooms are semiprivate or private rooms and all are equipped with telephones and televisions. In some facilities short –term patients may have access to a computer so they can keep in touch with loved ones.
[top]How does one go about getting admitted to the subacute care centers?
The discharge planner in the hospital or a medical professional begins the admission process by calling the Admissions Department in the facility and/or your insurance carrier. The medical information gathered by our RN Case Manager is used by the facility to insure that the appropriate care is available on site. If the facility can meet the medical and social needs of the patient, it will offer a bed. At any time in the process we encourage you to call and/or tour the facility. Please remember that our Case Managers are available to answer any of your questions.
[top]Do I have a choice as to where I go?
The brief answer is YES. You will make the final choice as to where you will continue your recovery process. Before you make a final decision, we encourage you to speak with the facility’s Admissions Department and if possible tour the facility. . Every facility would welcome your call and will review your individual needs so you can make an informed decision. The Network’s RN Case Managers are also available to review your case and assist you in making the appropriate decision.
[top]How long will I have to stay in subacute care?
Subacute care is short-term care. Your course of treatment depends on your medical and rehabilitative needs. The average length of stay in any of our facilities is less than 22 days with the range being from 5 to 90 days. The goal of the subacute program is to get you home and back to work as quickly as possible.
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