Looking at Long-Term Care
Thursday, February 25 2010
by Janet Babin and Lindsay Thomas
Intensive care units, nursing homes and hospice care are among the well-known options for patients who need end-of-life care. But there is another type of facility that offers this kind of specialized treatment for patients who are insured and need long-term care. They're called long-term acute care hospitals, also known as LTACHs, and most are owned and operated by for-profit corporations. Just a decade ago, there were only a handful of LTACHs in existence. Today, there are more than 400 in the U.S. and eight in North Carolina. Guest host Janet Babin looks at why this kind of facility is on the rise with WUNC Health Reporter Rose Hoban, Dr. Christopher Cox of Duke Health and Barbara Gage, the director of post-acute care research at RTI International.
