Allevant Solutions Shares Over 10 Years of Insights Into Rural Post-Acute Care Patient Outcomes

Data Supports Swing Bed Concept for Shorter Recovery Times and Low Hospital Return Rates

MECHANICSBURG, Pa., Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Allevant Solutions, LLC shared key insights from its experience over a 10-year period showing that partnerships between larger acute care hospitals and rural critical access hospitals (CAHs) for post-acute care benefit patients, health care teams and hospitals. 

The aggregate, de-identified data reflects patient outcomes from over 100 CAHs across 24 states, specifically around the utilization of the swing bed concept – which Allevant calls Transitional Care.  A swing bed is the federal government's term for a patient bed in a small, rural critical access hospital that can be used for acute or post-acute care after a hospital stay.  Rural patients who have to leave their community for higher levels of care often have difficulty finding high-quality, continuing care when they are ready to return. 

"When acute care hospitals can discharge patients to CAHs for post-acute care, everyone wins," said Dr. Mark Lindsay, a Mayo Clinic Health System pulmonologist and medical director for Allevant Solutions.  "Critical access hospitals have huge advantages when it comes to providing post-acute recovery via swing beds, most important for patients and their families which typically means being closer to home and shorter recovery times."   

CAHs provide hospital resources that include on-site lab, radiology, nurse staffing that is double to triple what is typically available in skilled nursing facilities.  Additionally, CAHs provide the ability for a physician/advance practice provider to address an acute change of condition. 

"We have typically seen lower return rates to acute hospitals and the higher nurse staffing is linked to positive outcomes, including lower mortality," Dr. Lindsay continued.  "Swing bed care remains one of the most underutilized, high-quality pathways in health care.  It is the ideal setting for recovering patients with complex health conditions."

Allevant Transitional Care Key Insights

Between 2014 and 2024:

• Total Transitional Care (swing bed) days: 243,859.
• Total Transitional Care (swing bed) patients: 17,760 admissions.
• Average growth by the end of the second year of a hospital's swing bed program: 47%, positively impacting the financial viability of rural CAHs.
• Average length of stay for a patient in post-acute care in a swing bed (all payers): 13.9 days, compared to 28 days in Medicare Part A SNF per 2024 MedPAC Report to Congress.
• 76.9% of patients who lived at home or in assisted living prior to acute hospital admission made it back to that environment.

Primary Admission Category:

• 66% complex medical and complex surgical
• 19% orthopedic
• 6% cardiac, palliative, complex respiratory or other (combined)
• 3% wound care
• 3% neurological
• 3% basic respiratory

Discharge Disposition from 17,743 swing bed discharges:

• 68% home
• 10% nursing facility (skilled and residential)
• 7% assisted living
• 7% acute hospital (both planned and unplanned)
• 5% other (hospice, indigent, prison, etc.)
• 3% death (98% expected mortality or end-of-life care)

Patient Satisfaction:

• "I received excellent care from my care team." 4.8 out of 5 (mean of 3,867 responses)
• "My care team prepared me well for a safe discharge." 4.8 out of 5 (mean of 3,844 responses)

Payer Mix Based on 40,710 swing Bed Referrals:

• Medicare Part A – 53.6%
• Commercial/Med Advantage – 40.3%
• Medicaid – 5.6%
• Self-Pay – 0.5%

To learn more about the Allevant Transitional Care swing bed program and analysis, visit Swing Bed on the MENDS.

About Allevant Solutions
Allevant Solutions, LLC, developed by Mayo Clinic and Select Medical, offers consulting services to rural hospitals and skilled nursing facilities with a focus on organizational culture, methodologies, algorithms, processes, clinical education and preparation, collaborative relationships, and quality improvement approaches.   www.allevant.com

Media Contact
Jordan Tenenbaum
President, Allevant Solutions
314-302-5373
[email protected]

SOURCE Allevant Solutions, LLC