What is Transitional Care?

Transitional Care is a specialized service for patients no longer needing a traditional acute- care hospital but are not ready to return to home. These patients still require additional skilled medical care, nursing care, or rehabilitation services.

Admission Inquiries:

Amy Dreesen, RN, BSN

Phone: 406-846-7730

Fax: 406-415-1042

akdreesen@dlmed.org

Our team is equipped to care for patients with complex needs, including:

After Surgery: Cardiac, neuro, orthopedic, abdominal, and more
Respiratory: Specialized treatment and support of respiratory therapy
Wound Care: Special attention and skill for wound healing
Intravenous (I.V) Antibiotics: To treat a variety of infections
Specialized Therapy: Including physical and speech therapy
Teaching and Training: Education on management of new procedures or medication management (i.e. new peg placement, newly diagnosed diabetic, new ostomy, heart failure)
Coordination and Ongoing Assessment of Complex Plans of Care: RN oversight and team collaboration to modify care plans as frequently as patients need

Why Deer Lodge Medical Center?

Our program is called Transitional Care because it is a model focused on helping patients transition from a hospital setting to home. These patients are requiring more therapy to set them up for success when they return to their home after suffering from an illness and/or injury. We use hospital- level resources, team processes, best practices, and extra clinical education to support this “transition.” This program makes it possible to complete your hospital stay closer to home! Since most patients receive this care under Medicare, this level of care is sometimes also referred to as “Swing Bed.”

We provide:

A personalized plan of care
Bedside rounds that engage you, your family, and your care team to help you reach your goals
Hospital-level nursing staff to keep you safe and help you recover
A home-like environment that accommodates family and participation in activity and rehabilitation
On-site physicians, therapy, radiology, and laboratory that will address your specific needs

How do I qualify for Transitional Care?

Have at least a consecutive three-night qualifying stay as an acute care patient within the last 30 days
Require a skilled need such as physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, nursing therapy, teaching and training, medication management, observation and assessment
Medicare A & B; other types of insurances need pre-authorization, but our team can help determine if you qualify under the Medicare guidelines

Outcomes: (January 2018- December 2019)

Average length of stay is 17 days

63% of patients return to home independently

9% of patients were readmitted to an acute facility less than 30 days

4.5 out of 5 people would recommend this program