What is Long Term Acute Care?

LTAC hospitals meet a specific need in the healthcare continuum. They are defined in federal regulations at 42 CFR 412.33(e). To be a Medicare-certified LTAC hospital, Landmark Hospital is required to establish a Medicare average length of stay (ALOS) of 25 days or longer and meet CMS Hospital Conditions of Participation. LTAC hospitals open as general acute care hospitals and are reimbursed under IPPS for the first six months. These first six months are known as the length-of-stay demonstration period. After maintaining a Medicare ALOS of 25 days for six months, Landmark Hospital applies to CMS for a change in provider status and receives a LTAC-hospital Medicare provider number. Landmark Hospital must continue to maintain a Medicare ALOS of 25 days or longer to keep its LTAC-hospital provider status.

LTAC hospitals provide diagnostic and medical treatment to patients with chronic diseases and medically complex conditions. LTAC hospital patients are too ill for placement in skilled nursing facilities.

Landmark Hospital follows InterQual criteria to determine the appropriateness of patient admission and continued hospital stay. Daily physician rounds are required. Registered nurses and respiratory therapists with certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) are on duty twenty-four hours every day. Physical, occupational, and speech therapies are available. The emphasis at landmark Hospital is on multi-disciplinary treatment planning.

The six major InterQual subsets treated at Landmark Hospital are: ventilator weaning, respiratory complex, other medically complex, infectious diseases, wound/skin, and cardiovascular/peripheral vascular.

Patients admitted to Landmark Hospital are referred by short-term, general acute care hospitals. Landmark Hospital is a resource to the acute care hospitals in the market, which typically extends out for a 75-100 miles radius. Landmark Hospital does not operate an emergency department and in no way competes for patients with the general acute care hospitals in the area.

Some of the programs at Landmark Hospital are:

a. Medically Complex for patients requiring multi-specialty medical services, post stroke and cardiac care, and recovery from surgical procedures.

b. Pulmonary and Ventilator for patients requiring mechanical ventilation and treatment of other respiratory infections and disorders.

c. Complex Wound Care for patients recovering from serious wound complications and extensive surgery, or requiring treatment for pressure ulcers.

d. Low Tolerance Rehabilitation for patients unable to tolerate stringent rehabilitation therapy.