Making Your Job a Bit Easier
At Emory Long-Term Acute Care, we understand that hospital case managers are busy people who process mounds of paperwork in the course of a day’s work. Our goal is to simplify your workload by providing the essential information you need to refer patients quickly and painlessly and make the process as hassle-free as possible.
If you have a patient whom you believe is an appropriate candidate for the LTAC level of care, you can refer him/her via one of the following convenient ways:
- By phone at 404-501-6226
- By fax at 404-501-6334
- Online via Allscripts Referral system (participating healthcare facilities only)
A member of our staff will perform an assessment at no charge and help you determine if your patient meets our admissions criteria. The assessment can be conducted at an acute-care hospital, in a nursing home, in the physician’s office or at an outpatient clinic. To schedule an assessment, call 404-501-6226.
Referral Triggers
Any ONE of the following may trigger a referral to LTAC after a five-day acute care LOS:
- Multi-system disease processes – e.g., diabetes, heart failure
- Frequent change in condition – e.g., increasing or decreasing oxygen saturation, diuretic needs, fluid balance
- Frequent medication changes – e.g., cardiac meds, repeated IV bolus of Mg or KCL
- Positive blood or fluid cultures (CSF, sputum)
- Patients who are positive for osteomyelitis
- TPN patients with ileus or swallowing problems (need for speech therapy, nutritional analysis, frequent labs)
- Obese patients with poor respiratory status (hypoventilation) or who need CPAP or BiPap (sleep apnea)
- Surgical patients with post-operative complications (ileus, respiratory instability, pain control problems, wound infection)
- Orthopedic patients with complications (MI, diabetic control)
- Complicated diagnosis – e.g., new CVA with old head injury, multiple pathways
- Fragile medical conditions – e.g., respiratory problems plus new MI, COPD, or CHF plus pneumonia
- Mechanical ventilation – invasive or non-invasive
Any TWO of the following may trigger referral to LTAC after a five-day acute care LOS:
- Recent stay in ICU or step-down unit
- High oxygen requirements (>5 liters/min)
- Debrided wound
- Complex wound processes – e.g., lymphedema, cellulitis
- Infected wounds
- Wounds requiring whirlpool treatment or pulse lavage
- New tracheostomy
- Patients requiring frequent pain management (IV or pump)
- Patients requiring frequent physician monitoring (daily vs. weekly)
- Patients with frequent hospital admissions
- Patients with reported downward course at home over the past several months
- Patients who are NPO for a lengthy time (>7-10 days)
- Nutritional issues – e.g., decreased albumin, decreased protein, underweight, obese, cachexic
- Multiple wounds
- Nursing home patients with need for complex management
- Patients with evidence of deconditioning
Inappropriate Candidates for Referral:
- Patients refusing to participate in therapy
- Patients with end-stage disease – e.g., extensive cardiomyopathy (EF<20 percent), cancer with metastasis
- Patients with mental health issues
- Simple disease processes with short treatment course
- Patients without LTAC reimbursement benefits