How to Choose a Long Term Acute Care Hospital?

If is often confusing when faced with the decision to select a provider of healthcare services. You are now being asked to select a Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) Hospital. LTACs provide a necessary step in the recovery process for patients who require an extended hospitalization. Quality of care is the utmost concern for your loved ones and some typical questions which should be answered when making a selection include:

1. What is your visitation policy for the medical floor as well as the ICU?
2. What is your nurse-to-patient ratio on the medical floor?
3. Are your nurses Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certified?
4. For what reasons would a patient have to be transferred back to an acute care hospital?
5. How do you handle emergencies that arise?
6. How many days per week do you offer Respiratory Therapy?
7. What is your case manager-to-patient ratio?
8. Will there be team conferences for families? If so, how frequently?
9. What is your readmission percentage for admissions back to short term acute care?
10. What is your percentage of patients that develop an infection after admission?
11. What is your percentage of patients that develop pneumonia if on a ventilator?
12. What are your days to wean from a ventilator?
13. What is your ventilator weaning rate?
14. What is your wound improvement rate?
15. What types of treatments are available for wound care?
16. What is your percentage of discharges home?