What is a Long Term Acute Care Hospital, and how does Integrity Transitional Hospital/ITH fit in?

Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals (LTCH) serve the needs of patients who require a longer recovery period for their debilitating condition(s).

LTCH patients commonly suffer from medical conditions such as respiratory failure, non-healing wounds and other medical co-morbidities. The typical patient is either ventilator dependent and/or requires intensive wound or medical intervention therapy in an acute setting.

Currently, there are approximately 355 LTCH facilities with over 24,800 beds in the US.  The average patient stay in an LTCH is 25 days or greater.    According to a 2004 study of Medicare claims data, LTCHs have demonstrated a positive impact in the communities they serve by decreasing hospital lengths of stay, mortality, emergency room use, re-admissions and Medicare payments.  The results indicate that LTACH treatment regimens reduced length of stay during the six month study by 31 days on average, lowered mortality by 15%, reduced the likelihood of emergency room use by 4%, reduced the likelihood of multiple hospital re-admissions by 8%, and saved Medicare more than $11,000 per patient.   According to a 2004 study by MEDPAC, the most severely ill patients treated in LTCHs are re-admitted to the traditional medical/surgical hospital 26% less than similar patients treated in alternative settings.

The Integrity Transitional Hospital in Denton will provide care for acutely ill/medically complex patients in and around the Denton County MSA.   Using an Interdisciplinary Team we provide a full spectrum of intensive and customized care for patients with a variety of medical conditions requiring continued acute care hospitalization.   Our core skills include case management, critical care nursing, respiratory therapy, advanced wound care, low tolerance physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy and clinical pharmacy.

We admit patients directly from the ICU of traditional medical/surgical hospitals, as well as patients referred directly to ITH for continuation of acute medical care, whose severity and complexity of their medical condition precludes them from being accepted into a rehabilitation hospital, sub-acute care unit or skilled nursing facility.

• We DO NOT provide emergency, surgery or OB/GYN services
• We DO NOT maintain extensive diagnostic equipment and labs (generally ITH’s patients have completed their major diagnostic work-ups and/or surgical procedures before their admission to ITH).
• We DO incorporate aggressive and state-of-the-art clinical interventions for patients suffering from post-surgical skin graphs/flaps, diabetic foot ulcers, and other Stage III and IV wounds.
• We DO have a Medical Staff President who oversees all policies, procedures and issues related to the delivery of medical care at our hospital.
• We DO have 24 hour, 7 day a week physician coverage by Board Certified, highly qualified physician sub-specialists (Pulmonologists, Internal Medicine, Cardiologists, Nephrologists, Surgeons, Neurologists, Orthopods etc.)
• We DO provide 24/7 licensed nursing care, respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
• We DO provide cardiac telemetry.
• We DO have an onsite pharmacy.
• We DO contract with regional and national managed care organizations for the care of their subscribers.
• We DO obtain our license as a Medicare and Medicaid hospital provider and care for patients who qualify for either.
• We DO provide a focused interdisciplinary approach to acute care hospitalization with weekly team meetings to review each patient’s progress and goals.

Through focusing our areas of expertise upon patients who meet our criteria, we are able to provide the most advanced care available, with each and every hospital staff member dedicated to delivering positive outcomes at a cost-effective price for our patients, their families, and their physicians.

Our mission is to provide Healthcare with Integrity.