Overcoming Post-Acute Hurdles: Ask the Expert

Navigating the current healthcare landscape can be challenging, especially amid shifting rules and regulations governing patient access to critical service lines, such as inpatient rehabilitation.

In this expert Q&A, Lifepoint Rehabilitation’s Amy Simpson shares how health systems can optimize patient throughput, navigate managed care hurdles and serve a rapidly aging population through inpatient rehabilitation.

About the Expert: In her nearly 20-year career at Lifepoint, Amy Simpson has served in rehabilitation operations and business development roles, partnering with health systems across the country. Amy’s background spans both rural and urban markets, where she has empowered multi-state teams to expand patient access to critical rehabilitation services.

Ask the Expert Q&A

Q: You’ve worked in the rehabilitation space for over two decades now. A lot has changed across the industry, but what has remained constant?

Amy: Navigating the managed care landscape has been the biggest change in two decades. You must be willing to advocate for patients who meet rehab criteria to get the authorization to do so. We dedicate a lot of resources to help ensure patients get the rehab care they deserve, close to home, all in a timely manner.

Inpatient rehab continues to offer the highest quality and intensity of therapy in the post-acute continuum. Getting patients to their “new level” of independence and back into their community remains the goal.

Q: The post-acute landscape is shifting rapidly. From your vantage point working with health systems and rehab programs across the country, what do you see as the biggest opportunity for inpatient rehabilitation facilities and units in the coming year(s)?

Amy: 10,000 Americans a day are turning 65! As the population ages, access to quality rehabilitation is imperative for folks to stay as independent as this generation wants to be.

Too often, clinically complex patients end up discharged to post-acute settings, like under-resourced skilled nursing facilities, that aren't equipped to handle their unique needs. And it usually comes down to three things: 1) the hospital doesn't have an inpatient rehab unit in their network, 2) they don't have the right team to spot who's a qualified candidate for rehab, or 3) they just don't have the bandwidth to fight rising insurance denials.

We help hospital leaders navigate these challenges to expand access to care in their communities. Whether you need to optimize an existing acute rehab unit (ARU), expand your current footprint, or develop a brand-new, inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) from the ground up, we bring the proven expertise and operational resources to make it a success.

Q: A major change in the industry is inpatient rehab partnerships. What is the biggest benefit to outsourcing a health system unit through partnership?

Amy: Rehabilitation is a highly regulated business, but it has the potential to improve patient and hospital outcomes if managed appropriately. Lifepoint Rehabilitation supports our programs with a “three-legged stool” comprising operations, business development and quality. This helps ensure that patients are receiving quality care close to home and that the hospital partner maintains long-term financial stability.

Q: When a health system connects with a rehab management expert, what areas can the expert help them evaluate and optimize?

Amy: Patient throughput, which encompasses decompressing acute care when needed; helping ensure strong and stable operations with a proven rehabilitation provider; and managing the patient’s rehab stay effectively to make sure the patient receives quality, efficient care.

Q: Why is rehabilitation such a vital piece of a healthcare organization’s care continuum, and how do shared mission and values factor into choosing the right partner?

Amy: For me, the true value of rehab is deeply personal. I still remember the very first patient I transitioned to acute rehab when I was a clinical liaison in Washington, D.C. Seeing that patient at the bedside right after a stroke and then watching them walk down the hallway of the rehab unit just a week or so later, I couldn’t believe it! The rehab team literally gave that patient their life and hope back. I knew right then that I had rehab in my heart.

Because rehabilitation has such a profound, life-changing impact, alignment on mission and values is everything when evaluating a partner. You aren't just outsourcing a service; you are extending your care continuum. The right partner will always keep the patient at the very center of every clinical and operational decision. We are in service to our hospital partners, and our shared goal must always be about helping them better serve and heal their communities.

Contact us today to learn how Lifepoint Rehabilitation can help your hospital meet the needs of your local community.