Scope of Services

Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Stroke Specialty Program and Amputee Specialty Program

Populations Served:

The BHS inpatient Rehabilitation Centers provide a physician-led, comprehensive inpatient rehab program for persons recovering from stroke, amputation, multiple trauma, head injury, spinal cord dysfunction, orthopedic conditions, neuromuscular disorders, general debility and other conditions requiring multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Patients must be 18 years of age or older. BHS Inpatient Rehab Centers do not treat patients who require ventilator assistance.

The goals of the Stroke Specialty Program are to achieve functional independence, increase quality of life and offer education to help in the adjustment to stroke and prevention of future stroke. The program accepts all types of strokes including thrombotic, embolic, hemorrhagic and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

The Amputee Specialty Program provides specialized, intensive rehab to patients who have suffered limb loss due to trauma or disease. If the patient is a prosthetic candidate, goals will be focused on achieving ambulation using a prosthetic device. If the patient is not a prosthetic candidate, goals will be focused on achieving function in ADLs, transfers, and wheelchair mobility. BHS offers a comprehensive continuum of care which includes acute rehabilitation, prosthetic training, patient and family education on issues related to limb loss and complications, post-discharge follow-up program, diabetic education, Certified Peer Mentor Program and a multidisciplinary follow-up clinic.

Our team offers special attention to ensure that individualized care is based on each patient’s cultural and language preference, gender or gender identity, and ability to learn.

Settings:

The BHS Rehabilitation Centers are located in 4 hospitals:

• Baptist Medical Center (24 beds)
• North Central Baptist Hospital (12 beds)
• Northeast Baptist Hospital (12 beds)
• St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital (24 beds) All rooms are private rooms.

Services and Hours:

1. Physician Services: 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
2. Nursing Services: 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
3. Respiratory Therapy: 24 hours, 7 days per week
4. Pharmacy, laboratory and radiology services: 24 hours, 7 days per week
5. Speech, Physical and Occupational Therapy are available Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturdays from (minimum) 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
6. Pastoral care, nutrition, psychology, case management, wound care, hyperbarics, dialysis are hospital-based and available throughout the patient’s stay
7. Other services such as orthotics, prosthetics, audiology, driver re-education, rehab engineering, vocational counseling and training, wheelchair and seating evaluations, chemical use/abuse/dependency counseling and psychiatry are available by referral to outside agencies

Frequency of Services:

The frequency of services listed above is dependent upon the specific individual needs of each patient. At a minimum, patients will be seen by their attending rehab physician 3 days per week, by physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy 5 days per week, and by nursing daily. Other services are utilized on a time frame specified by the attending physician or as needs arise in each individual case.

Payer Sources:

The BHS Inpatient Rehab Centers accept various funding sources including, but not limited to, private commercial insurance, Workers Compensation, self-pay, Medicare, and HMO/PPO plans. For more information, please contact the Rehab Center’s admission department.

Fees:

Fee schedules are available upon request from the BHS Inpatient Rehab Center’s Admissions Department. We can assist with the application for uncompensated care for individuals who are uninsured and can’t afford to pay.

Referral Sources:

Referrals can be made by physicians, insurance case managers, hospital case managers and social workers, emergency departments, home health agencies, and families. BHS Inpatient Rehab Centers do not discriminate against individuals of varying race, cultural background, religion, race or sexual preference.

Intensity of Services:

Patients at are expected to participate in at least 3 hours of therapy per day, 5 days per week. On average, our patients participate in 3 to 4 hours of therapy each day Monday through Friday and less on Saturday. In certain circumstances, when patients cannot tolerate 3-4 hours per day due to certain medical issues (i.e., chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis), patients may not be required to participate in 3 hours of therapy per day. These patients will participate in 15 hours of therapy over a 7-day period. If a

patient is unable or unwilling to participate in therapy, the patient may be discharged to a more appropriate level of care.

Admission Criteria:

1) Patient must be 18 years of age or older.

2) Complexity of Patient Needs


A. The patient must have significant functional deficits, as well as documented medical and nursing needs, regardless of diagnosis that require:
1. Close medical supervision by a physiatrist or a physician qualified by training and experience in rehabilitation.
2. 24 hour availability of nurses skilled in rehabilitation; and
3. Treatment by multiple other licensed rehabilitation professionals (such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists and prosthetic/orthotics).
B. The medical stability of the patient and management of medical or surgical co- morbidities are considered to be:
1. Manageable in the rehabilitation program.
2. Permit simultaneous participation in the rehabilitation program.
C. The patient presents as capable of fully participating in the inpatient rehabilitation program as evidenced by:
1. Mental status demonstrating responsiveness to verbal, visual and/or tactile stimuli and ability to follow simple commands.
2. An ability to actively participate in an intensive level of rehabilitation (generally defined as 3 hours of therapy per day, 5 days per week).
D. The patient has objective and measurable functional goals identified to warrant the admission that:
1. Offer practical improvements and,
2. Are expected to be achieved within a reasonable amount of time.
E. The patient has reasonable probability of benefitting from the inpatient rehab program.

F. The patient, in most circumstances, has a home and available family or care providers such that there is a likelihood of returning to home or a community based environment.

G. Spinal cord injured patients (including patients with traumatic injury and patients with spinal cord disease), complete and incomplete SC level C5 or below will be accepted but must also meet admission criteria listed above. Patients who are experiencing a late onset complication of spinal cord injury and require a period of hospitalization will also be considered. Such complications may include skin surgery, neurosurgery and other medical-surgical complications. Ventilator patients will not be accepted.

Continued Stay Criteria:

Patient must demonstrate that they are benefitting from the program, that they are making progress toward reasonable goals and that acute rehab is the most appropriate level of care. Discharge Criteria:

The patient will be discharged from the BHS Inpatient Rehabilitation Center if any of the following are met:

A. Treatment goals necessitating the inpatient setting are met.

B. Absence of participation in the interdisciplinary rehabilitation program.

C. The individual has limited potential for recovery (e.g., the individual’s functional status has remained unchanged or additional functional improvement appears unlikely within a reasonable time frame).

D. The individual is unable to actively participate in an intensive rehabilitation program (most typically defined as at least 3 hours of therapy per day, 5 days per week).

E. The overall medical status is such that no further progress is anticipated or only minimal gains that could be expected to be attained with either less intensive therapy or regular daily activities.