What is it?

Long Term Acute Care Hospitals represent a clinically and financially rewarding opportunity for hospitals. Developing a small acute care hospital within a hospital is a key to making this opportunity work. These 'hospitals within hospitals"-which provide "treatment level" care rather than "diagnostic level" care-offer the host acute care system the opportunity to move chronically ill and acute care patients to continued care within the hospital system with daily intensive physician supervision. The development and implementation of the PPS or prospective payment system in 2002 for LTAC hospitals provide an opportunity for increased margin with Medicare patients. There are approximately 300 LTAC hospitals across the US and the number is growing.

LTAC hospital characteristics:

• Generally 30 beds in size
• Developed on an existing nursing floor or unit
• Provide acute-care services for prolonged periods of time for patients who need extended 24-hour skilled nursing care
  
  FHA will be happy to assist your hospital system in developing and evaluating an LTAC hospital. Our services include:
  
  
• Feasibility and bed-demand studies
• Legal establishment of the new entity
• Certificate of need work
• Governing board education and support
• Development of "hospital within a hospital" LTACH with FHA "sharing" the risk.
• Implementation of the hospital
• Contract negotiations and management
• Financial and billing management
• Evaluation of financial and operations in existing units
• Physician and staff educational programs
• PPS performance evaluations
• Medical chart auditing
• Physician performance and evaluations
• Productivity standards review
• JCAHO Preparation
• Tracking systems development
• Marketing and loyalty brand services specific to the facility or service