See our on-line Slide Show Presentation: Long
Term Acute Care Hospitals
Caring for patients with chronic and long term care needs is becoming increasingly more important as our society ages. A long term acute care hospital (LTACH) is a vital entity within a comprehensive health care continuum. Long term acute care hospitals can be free-standing or physically located within existing acute care facilities as a “hospital within a hospital”.
Long term acute acre hospitals which are recognized by Medicare as per 42 CFR 412.23(e), generally provide diagnostic and medical treatment or rehabilitation to patients with chronic diseases or complex medical conditions. The aggregate Medicare average length of stay must exceed 25 days. This is the only additional Medicare condition of participation that sets LTACHs apart from acute care hospitals.
A long term acute care hospital is exempt from the Prospective Payment System (PPS). LTACHs are paid under LTC-DRG’s which have the same definitions as short term acute DRG’s but have different relative weights applied to a higher base rate.
A comprehensive master plan to develop a LTACH shall address:
State Hospital Licensing Requirements
- Federal Regulatory Compliance
- Organizational and Governance Compliance
- Reimbursement Models Based on Case Mix
- Bed Allocation and Methodology
- Product Line Structuring
- Functional Space Design
- Operational Budget and Staffing Requirements
- Medical/Nursing Staff Education and Orientation
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