topic The term swing bed that hospitals use in Community Chat

The term swing bed that hospitals use

goldensrbest — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:43:37 GMT

From what i understand,it is not a actually bed,but a term medicare uses,for acute care, any one had experience with this for a love one?

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

JeanLouiseFinch — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:49:29 GMT

@goldensrbest - are you possibly referring to a Hoyer Lift?

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

goldensrbest — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:51:37 GMT

@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@goldensrbest - are you possibly referring to a Hoyer Lift?

No, it is actually not a bed, a term medicare uses for care.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

cotton4me — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:03:21 GMT

"A swing-bed is a service that rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) with a Medicare provider agreement provide that allows a patient to transition from acute care to Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) care without leaving the hospital."

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

cindyNC — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:03:45 GMT

Here is the definition from Medicare

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

goldensrbest — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:21:32 GMT

T hat is my understanding of it also,at first i thought it was a bed type,but it is not, a term medicare uses.What would we do without the Internet.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

tends2dogs — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:28:00 GMT

@goldensrbest wrote:
T hat is my understanding of it also,at first i thought it was a bed type,but it is not, a term medicare uses.What would we do without the Internet.

Or our Forum friends.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

juanitalinda — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 15:14:25 GMT

I spent a little over 2 weeks in a swing bed center last year and received excellent care.

I was there for rehab from a fractured hip and received physical therapy five days a week and occupational therapy two or three times a week. I don't know if everyplace does this, but we also had recreational therapy once a week. Gardening or playing fetch with a dog. Good exercise and lots of fun.

Now .. that could be just the place I was at.

However, there were definitely advantages to being connected to a hospital. I am a tough blood draw .so they used the hospital plebotomist for my blood tests. They were so much more experienced, to say the least.

Also, being in a rural hospital there was much less hussle and bussle than a big hospital or a busy acute nursing facility. Also, being somewhat smaller than some of those other facilities, the food arrived hot (or cold) and they got to know my tastes.

At any rate, that was my experience.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

tessam — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 15:22:52 GMT

What is a Swing-Bed?

A swing-bed is a service that rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) with a Medicare provider agreement provide that allows a patient to transition from acute care to Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) care without leaving the hospital. This allows a patient to continue receiving services in the hospital even though acute care is no longer required.

The purpose of swing-bed care

A hospital that is able to transition from acute care to SNF care allows a patient to stay in one place without having to move between hospitals, nursing facilities, or go back and forth between home and important appointments. It is an especially important service in rural areas because it increases Medicare patient access to this type of care.

hope this helps

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

goldensrbest — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 15:24:51 GMT

Yes, this is a small town rural hospital, she is at.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

juanitalinda — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 16:09:06 GMT

I forgot to add one of the other benefits of the swing bed program.

It was much closer to home than the skilled nursing facilities. That made it much more convenient for my family.

They stopped by for a short visit on their way home from work. An since it was close by, it was easy for them to bring me 'necessities' ... in quotes because sometimes those 'necessities' were clothes or shoes, and sometimes they were quiche from a local bakery.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

chrystaltree — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 16:28:39 GMT

@cotton4me wrote:
"A swing-bed is a service that rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) with a Medicare provider agreement provide that allows a patient to transition from acute care to Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) care without leaving the hospital."

Right. It's not about the bed or the room. It's a finance term that reduces Medicare payment for patients who no longer meet inpatient level of care.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

chrystaltree — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 16:31:34 GMT

@juanitalinda wrote:
I forgot to add one of the other benefits of the swing bed program.

It was much closer to home than the skilled nursing facilities. That made it much more convenient for my family.

They stopped by for a short visit on their way home from work. An since it was close by, it was easy for them to bring me 'necessities' ... in quotes because sometimes those 'necessities' were clothes or shoes, and sometimes they were quiche from a local bakery.

Yes indeed. In most cases it's better for patients and families if the patient is not transferred to a SNF which can be some distance away.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

SaveTheTurtles — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 01:38:22 GMT

I had never heard of this term before. It must be in smaller cities where there are not a lot of rehab/nursing home options I'm guessing. Good information to be aware of. Thank you.

Re: The term swing bed that hospitals use

gardenman — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 13:02:57 GMT

Swing beds can be good revenue generators for hospitals. Empty beds and empty rooms bring in no revenue. Keeping more rooms filled at a reduced swing bed rate generates some revenue. Some revenue is better than no revenue. Swing beds can be bad for rehab facilities as the hospital is taking the money they'd be getting otherwise.