Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce the Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2011, with the support of my colleague Mr. Nelson of Florida. This legislation develops new federal standards and certification criteria for Long Term Acute Care Hospitals, LTCHs. We are also joined by Senators Crapo, Wyden, Toomey and Heller, in introducing this bill. We hope to get the support of many more of our colleagues. This legislation has the support of the major hospital associations, including the American Hospital Association, AHA, the Federation of American Hospitals, FAH, and the Acute Long Term Hospital Association, ALTHA. As many of you know, Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals, referred to as LTCHs, specialize in treating medically complex patients who need longer than usual hospital stays, on average 25 days. By comparison, the average stay for a patient in a general acute hospital is only 5-6 days. LTCHs, like rehabilitation hospitals and nursing homes, often care for patients who are discharged from a general hospital. Because of that, LTCHs are sometimes referred to as post-acute care providers. However, LTCHs are fully licensed and certified as acute care hospitals. There are approximately 425 LTCHs in the nation, compared to approximately 12,000 nursing homes and 1,400 rehabilitation hospitals. LTCH patients are very ill, with many suffering from complex respiratory issues, including those who are ventilator dependent, or other complex medical issues.…”