Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has further burdened the American healthcare system, which is already financially stressed and facing demographic changes.
FREMONT, CA: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an additional burden to the already financially strained and demographically demanding American healthcare system in the past two years. This one-of-a-kind circumstance has exposed improvement opportunities and underlined the significance of health and safety.
SIGNIFICANT POST-ACUTE TRENDS FOR 2023
Increased need for specialist post-acute care services
Chronic diseases are becoming more widespread among patients of all ages, especially the expanding older population. Sixty percent of Americans have at least one chronic condition. Twenty percent of the US population will be 65 or older by 2030. Forty-one percent of Medicare patients enrolled in the fee-for-service program are 65 or older and have at least four chronic illnesses.
Why It Is Important:
This aging and increasingly chronic population will significantly burden hospitals, particularly intensive care units (ICUs), as these patients frequently require acute-level care for extended periods. Discharge to a PAC setting is often the most appropriate next step in the recovery journey for patients with ongoing needs.
Most patients can be discharged to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) or a lesser level of care, but patients with chronic illnesses benefit most from specialized care at a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH). Over one-third of individuals admitted to an SNF have only slight or moderate conditions. In contrast, nearly 90 percent of patients discharged to LTACHs had a severe illness and, on average, six co-morbidities.
By developing referral partnerships with specialized LTACHs, physicians may be assured that their patients with complex medical conditions will receive the necessary care.
