Swing Bed Program

“The choice is yours.”

In today’s healthcare environment, hospital stays and post-surgical recovery are more condensed than they once were. The Swing Bed Program at Carlinville Area Hospital & Clinics helps fill the gap between hospitalization and home.

The Swing Bed Program is a covered stay for those who qualify for a skilled service, which includes any of the following:

  • Therapy services (physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy)
  • IV antibiotics
  • Skilled wound care services

Hospital room at CAH&C

Patients who come to the Swing Bed Program for rehabilitation or IVs enjoy spacious, private rooms, accessible bathrooms and showers, friendly staff, and a care plan focused on helping patients achieve their goal of returning home. Interdepartmental rounds and care overseen by their primary care physician or hospitalists include individualized care and therapy services six days per week.

The Swing Bed Program at Carlinville Area Hospital & Clinics provides comprehensive, short-term rehabilitation for patients recovering from illness or surgery and requiring inpatient therapy services to restore their independence and safety before returning home. Patients benefit from recovering close to home where visits from family and friends are encouraged. Our activities staff provides purposeful activities throughout their stay in the Swing Bed Program.

Comprehensive discharge planning begins at admission to the Swing Bed Program and may include coordination of necessary post-hospital resources, equipment, or in-home safety evaluations by occupational therapists to ensure patients have what they need to return home safely. If needed, patients will also be referred for outpatient or Home Health Services for optimal continuity of care.

FAQs

Yes! The Swing Bed Program is an option for all eligible patients regardless of what hospital they are currently admitted to.

If you need additional recovery or short-term rehabilitation before returning home, the Case Manager at the hospital the patient is currently admitted to will send a referral to the Swing Bed Unit. Once we receive the referral, the team of nursing, therapy, physician, case management, and pharmacy providers review the referral to ensure you have a skilled need.

Skilled needs include IV antibiotics, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and wound care. Skilled needs must be performed daily and are required on an inpatient basis only. When your skilled need is identified, we review to ensure we can meet your needs, then check with your insurance carrier to determine if treatment is covered.

During your stay, we’ll take a personalized team approach to your treatment. The Swing Bed team may include the physician, nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, pharmacy, nutritional services, respiratory therapy, discharge planning, and behavioral health. We schedule family meetings to ensure you, your family, and the team have a chance to voice concerns, ask questions, and create the safest discharge plan possible. We’ll arrange for any continued services needed after discharge, such as home health or outpatient therapy.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept Medicaid plans.

If you have traditional Medicare, you must have a three-night inpatient stay within the last 30 days. Medicare pays 100% for skilled nursing care for the first 20 days, then 80% through the 100th day. If you have secondary insurance, most will pay the 20% co-pay. Our team will check your Medicare days to ensure you have skilled days available. 

If you have Commercial or Medicare Advantage plans, the hospital will need to obtain authorization from your insurance company. If they approve, they usually only approve so many days at a time. In that case, we must send additional clinicals to the carrier for continued reviews.

For Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, you must be given a 48-hour discharge notice. Your notice will review your appeal rights; if you don’t feel ready to be discharged, you have the right to file an appeal. Appeals are sent to a third-party company that will ask for your medical records. They will review the medical records and determine if you’re ready to return home or if you need a little more time to heal.

Yes. We cannot accept patients who are actively on chemotherapy, dialysis, or TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition).

Becky Foiles, LCSW
Case Manager and Swing Bed Program Coordinator
217-854-3141 ext. 272
rfoiles@cahcare.com 
Fax: 217-854-6800