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Long-term acute care, which is compa- rable to a traditional acute hospital level of care, addresses the patient's needs for high intensity services such as + pulmonary care, + complex wound care, + dialysis, + intensive care, + IV antibiotic therapy, + rehabilitation, and + pain management. The focus is on eliminating the barriers that are preventing the patient from being discharged to home or to the next appropriate level of care. At Kindred, nurses, physicians, respira- tory therapists, specialists in infection control, case managers, pharmacists, nutritionists, and wound care specialists work together as a team to accomplish this goal. And they do an excellent job. In 2011, Kindred's LTACs discharged nearly 70 percent of patients to home or to a lower level of care after an average length of stay of only 28 days. "It's a collaborative effort — and not just within the Kindred Hospital walls, but with area acute care hospitals, as well," says Dr. Felver who, in addition to being medical director of Kindred Cleveland- Fairhill, is also a director of the Center for Post Acute Care and Rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic. "Kindred Fairhill is just one mile away from the main campus of Cleveland Clinic, so patients have easy access when needed to all of the subspecialty care that the Clinic has to offer. This makes it much more feasible for patients with significant disease situations to find a solution." According to a study released by the American Hospital Association in November 2010, "Policymakers and health care providers increasingly recognize that coordination between acute-care hospitals and PAC providers is essential to improving overall quality Mey Somasundaram, MD, is medical director of Kindred Hospital Cleveland-Gateway, where satisfaction surveys indicate 90% of patients, residents and families would recommend Kindred again. of care and reducing health spending." The study points to the possibility of PAC hospitals lowering re-admission rates to acute care hospitals — some- thing acute care hospitals must do to comply with the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and avoid reduced or clawed back Medicare payments. Statistics provided by Kindred show this is not just a possibility, but a reality. In 2011, Kindred Cleveland reduced re-hospitalizations by an average of 23.5 percent (29.6 percent for the Fairhill campus). Additional statistics for 2011 indicate that Kindred Cleveland boasted an average ventilator wean rate of 37.6 (48.2 for the Gateway campus) and an average wound improvement rate of 20.8. Other key quality indicators show that Kindred outperformed national benchmarks throughout 2011. "We are experts in ventilator weaning and respiratory management," says Dr. Somasundaram, who points out that there are fulltime critical care physicians and fulltime respiratory therapists at Kindred Cleveland. "Another area of expertise is infection control and chronic wound management," adds Dr. Felver. "There are surgeons here that manage the most debilitating wounds – dehisced surgical wounds and stage 4 decubitus ulcers." Patient satisfaction survey results are excellent, too — 90 percent of Kindred Cleveland's patients, resi- dents and families indicate they would recommend Kindred again. The ulti- mate goal is to provide recovery, help patients regain function and ensure an independent lifestyle. For patients who need follow-up skilled nursing care, sub-acute units are located within Kindred Cleveland's LTAC hospitals. Post-op patients who have had knee or hip replacement surgery, and need two or more weeks of physical and occupational therapy, also utilize this unit. "People come to Kindred because they need cont inued care," says Dr. Somasundaram. "They come here to live and to live productive lives." For more information about Kindred in Cleveland, visit www.kindredcleveland.com/ about-us/kindred-locations-in-cleveland. To refer a patient to Kindred Cleveland- Fairhill or Kindred Cleveland-Gateway, call 216.983.8030. s NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 s MDNEWS.COM s MD NEWS Cleveland/Akron/Canton | 31