GMC's Swingbed Program
Have you ever had a loved one who wasn’t strong enough to return to everyday living following a hospital stay? Then you may be familiar with Girard Medical Center’s Swing Bed program. “Swing Bed" is a term coined by Medicare to describe a hospital room that can switch from acute care status to skilled care status. The actual bed/room does not change; what changes is the level of care that the patient in that room receives.
Did you know that GMC welcomes patients to come here and stay in our Swing Bed program even if their inpatient stay occurred at another hospital? This allows your loved ones to be close to family and friends during rehabilitation, which can speed up recovery. Just ask Edna Meyer’s daughters, Marilyn Yost and Dorene Niederklein. Edna was recently a patient in GMC’s Swing Bed program after an inpatient stay at a neighboring hospital. “We really believe the Swing Bed recovery program for mom was wonderful,” Marilyn said. “The excellent nursing care, physical and occupational therapy, in addition to the home health care that followed made a positive difference in her recovery.” Dorene wholeheartedly agreed saying, “Not only is GMC more convenient for family members, mom was so happy to be surrounded by caring professionals that she calls friends.”
To qualify for Swing Bed, patients must have at least a 3-day stay as an acute patient (at any hospital). The patient must also need some form of daily skilled nursing or skilled rehabilitation service. Medicare will cover Swing Bed services if the patient meets these requirements, has days left in their benefit period available to use, and the doctor determines they need daily skilled care.
Common diagnoses treated in this program include patients with extended therapy needs, orthopedic surgeries (hip/knee replacements), fractures, post-surgical procedures, neurological disorders (stroke), and generalized weakness due to CHF, DOPD, pneumonia, and other chronic conditions.
Besides being close to home, GMC offers plenty of other reasons to choose them. A few examples include but aren’t limited to:
- Friendly and professional hometown care with a lower patient to staff ratio.
- Customized Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy based on patients’ needs.
- Activities personalized to the patients’ needs and requests based on interests and hobbies.
- Customized services upon request such as a beauty operator, manicure or massage (with doctor order).
- Nutritionist who will meet our patients’ personal preferences and dietary needs.
- Beautiful and spacious private rooms.
“Our number one goal is to improve our patient’s functional, nutritional and medical health so they can return home,” said Kelci Holt, Swing Bed Coordinator. “Our team will work with the patient and their family to create a treatment plan designed to help achieve their treatment goals and return home.”