Kindred Healthcare, LLC announced it is adding acute inpatient rehabilitation units (ARUs) within five of the company’s long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals. The LTACs adding ARUs are located in the Houston metro area and in Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg and Green Cove Springs, Florida. The ARUs, with a total of 60 beds, will begin serving patients in September 2020.
Inpatient rehabilitation helps patients recover from conditions that include stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, orthopedic injury, neurological conditions, amputation and trauma. The new ARUs will provide the intensive, interdisciplinary clinical and rehabilitation services necessary for improved function and independence, facilitating patients’ recovery so they can be discharged and return to their homes.
Patients will receive a minimum of three hours of therapy each day for at least five days a week under the direction of a physiatrist, a doctor specialized in rehabilitation and physical medicine, and 24/7 nursing care. The Kindred ARUs will provide services to both Kindred LTAC patients as well as patients from other healthcare providers in their communities.
The new units will be managed and staffed by Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services (KHRS), which delivers clinical success and outstanding patient outcomes for hospital-based programs nationwide. KHRS treats more than 45,000 patients each year and is the largest contract manager of hospital-based acute rehabilitation programs in the nation. Approximately 100 hospitals in 27 states partner with KHRS to manage ARUs within their facilities.
“Adding dedicated acute-level rehabilitation units in our LTAC hospitals sets Kindred apart,” said Pete Kalmey, Executive Vice President and President of Kindred’s Hospital Division. “These ARUs will enable Kindred to provide a broader range of acute-level, physician-led rehabilitation expertise while avoiding the disruption of transferring a patient to a separate facility. With enhanced capabilities, expertise and clinical integration – all under one roof – we will be positioned to deliver superior outcomes for our most clinically complex patients.”
Continued Kalmey, “In this time of pandemic, it is important to note that a growing body of evidence demonstrates that the specialized services delivered in LTAC hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation play a unique and positive role in treating patients suffering with, and recovering from, COVID-19. LTAC hospitals have particular expertise in pulmonary care and success in weaning ventilator-dependent patients.”
