By Emily Koogler, LSW, CCM
Social Worker-Case Manager, Bluffton Hospital
What is a swing bed?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) grants approval to critical access hospitals to provide post-acute care in the hospital setting if the facility meets certain requirements. The swing bed concept allows a critical access facility to use its beds interchangeably for either acute care or post-acute care. The patient swings from receiving acute-care services and reimbursement to receiving skilled services and reimbursement while staying in the hospital setting.
What kinds of patients are seen in a swing bed unit?
Swing bed candidates are those who desire rehab in a post-acute care setting and have a daily skilled nursing need such as IV antibiotics, wound care, etc. or a skilled therapy need for five or more days a week with the goal of returning home after a rehab stay. Candidates also include those who are stable and no longer in the diagnostic phase or testing part of treatment.