Swing Bed
What is a Swing Bed?
Swing beds are for patients who need additional short-term rehabilitation care beyond their acute hospital stay. They allow patients to transition, or swing, from acute hospital care to rehabilitation and skilled nursing care without leaving the hospital. Swing bed programs also allow patients who were hospitalized in a healthcare facility far from home to transfer to a community hospital close to home to receive additional skilled care and complete their recovery.
Patients who would benefit from Bitterroot Health's Swing Bed Program are those who have already been in the hospital for at least 3 days but require additional nursing care and/or rehab services on a daily basis.
Some qualifications include:
- Ongoing skilled nursing
- Ongoing rehab services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy.
- Long term inpatient IV antibiotic therapy
- Specialized wound care
Medicare will generally pay for Swing Bed if the patient meets the following criteria:
- Your Swing Bed care must be related to an acute hospital stay.
- You have a 3-night inpatient qualifying stay in the past 30 days.
In addition to Medicare, some private insurance plans cover swing bed services. Your social worker, case manager, or provider can help you determine whether you qualify under federal guidelines for Medicare coverage.
- An individualized plan that is developed with you, your family and a multi-disciplinary team to establish and work toward discharge goals.
- Dress in your own clothes daily.
- Meet with therapist’s daily.
- Participate in activities as desired.
The Swing bed program helps you make the transition from hospital to home. This short-stay program can last a few days or a few weeks. If you’re in our swing bed program, you receive your care while in a hospital room. The following list is an example of the services provided in our swing bed.
- Physical and Occupational therapy
- Nutrition and dietary support
- Respiratory therapy
- Speech-language therapy
- IV therapy
- Wound Care
- Designated RN and CNA with low patient-to-nurse ratio
- On-site hospital resources including radiology, lab and ER if needed.
- Physician on site 24 hours/day if needed.
- Ongoing discharge planning
- Individualized caregiver training and education when preparing for discharge.
- Most importantly, we’re close to your home, family and friends.