Incorporating long-term acute care is an option once again for acute-care hospitals and health systems, as the federal moratorium limiting new long-term care facilities and beds sunset at the end of 2012. The moratorium had been in place since 2007, but now hospitals and health systems have the choice of adding a long-term acute care hospital to their strategies again.
According to a Community Hospital Corp. whitepaper, "Long-term Success for LTACH," acute-care hospitals can gain four main benefits when they fully integrate an LTACH into their strategies:
• Extended continuum of care
• Lowered short-term acute care diagnosis-related group revenue losses
• Cross-utilization of services and resources within the organization's continuum
• Possibility for recognition by managed care payment structure
"When operational philosophies are consistent and the LTACH is part of an integrated delivery system, patients can be appropriately transitioned with reimbursement reflective of each venue's purpose, anticipated length of stay and necessary resources," the whitepaper states.