Inpatient rehabilitation provides comprehensive therapy in a hospital setting for patients recovering from serious illnesses, injuries or surgeries. As the most intensive form of rehabilitation, it's designed to help patients regain their independence and return to the community.
The Inpatient Rehabilitation Difference
No other care setting offers inpatient rehabilitation’s specialized programming for hospital-level patients requiring intensive physical, occupational and speech therapies. This distinction sets inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) and acute rehabilitation units (ARUs) apart from other care settings.
Unique attributes of inpatient rehab that help drive positive outcomes across patient demographics:
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- Employing specialty trained registered rehabilitation nurses fully equipped to treat patients with complex care needs.
- Implementing hospital-level infection control measures to help maintain patient and employee safety from admission to discharge.
- Supplying daily physician oversight and a multidisciplinary therapy team.
- Integrating the latest rehabilitation technology to promote patient progress and family member engagement throughout the care journey.
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Moreover, research continues to highlight that the integration of inpatient rehabilitation into a patient’s care plan can result in improved outcomes, such as a patient’s activities of daily living ADL) following a stroke.1 By increasing patient access to this critical form of care, hospitals are better able to deliver high-quality outcomes in a safe environment.
But how does inpatient rehabilitation stack up to other care settings, such as SNFs?
Comparing Care Settings: IRF vs. SNF
Below is a care graph that further breaks down the benefits inpatient rehabilitation has on patients and the differences in care quality compared to SNFs.
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Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility or Acute Rehabilitation Units |
Skilled Nursing Facilities |
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License/Certification |
Certified as acute level of care. |
Licensed as a skilled nursing facility. |
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Physician Involvement |
Daily physician visits. |
Required physician visit during first 30 days; one visit every following 60 days. |
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Nursing |
Receive specialized training in rehab nursing, pain management and medication, skin integrity and self-care training. |
Must have at least one RN for at least eight straight hours a day, seven days a week, and either an RN or LPN/LVN on duty 24 hours per day; intervention, assessment and monitoring of: VS, IVFs/antibiotics, ostomy, catheter, trach, NG care; routine labs and diagnostics and respiratory equipment. |
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Rehab Therapy and Admission Criteria |
Available to patients requiring intensive rehabilitation therapy (PT/OT/ST). |
Patients must have a qualifying hospital stay for at least three patient days and a physician determines the patient requires daily skilled care from nursing or therapy. |
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Team Treatment |
Interdisciplinary approach between physician, therapy team, social work, and nursing to facilitate recovery. Physician-led weekly team conferences required. |
Interdisciplinary approach between therapy and nursing to facilitate recovery. |
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Ancillary Services |
Services on site: pharmacy, lab, radiology, and all other hospital services. |
Services readily available, but not on site: pharmacy consultant, lab, radiology. |
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Patient Characteristics |
Medically complex patient’s functional prognosis is good with the goal that they will return to home or a community-based setting. Patient demonstrates sufficient endurance and potential to participate in a rehab program and make significant functional and/or cognitive gains. Common admission patient description:
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Patient demonstrates a potential for general health improvement. Common admission patient description:
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Importance of a Strategic Partnership
While the benefits of inpatient rehabilitation are clear, running a rehabilitation unit or hospital is complex and highly regulated.
Many hospitals are finding joint venture or contract management partnership as a key strategy to help optimize their rehabilitation program and relieve the burden of self-management.
Lifepoint Rehabilitation’s decades of focused experience and national footprint has enabled hospital partner facilities to keep up with shifting care needs, while also improving outcomes and delivering greater patient access.
Contact us today to learn more.
References:
- https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality-initiatives-patient-assessment-instruments/nursinghomequalityinits/skilled-nursing-facility-quality-reporting-program/snf-quality-reporting-program-public-reporting
