Picture of a patient's hands holding on to a walker in front of a swing bed. There is someone else's hands on patients while they assist them with the walker.

Transitional Care

Swing Bed Program

Sometimes a patient has improved to the point of no longer needing acute hospital care but is not quite ready to return home.

Transitional Care allows an easier transition back to your everyday life.

The term SWING means that the hospital may clarify beds for acute care or skilled care. It swings in the way Medicare reimburses for the care provided to the patient. With Swing Bed, the hospital can “swing” a patient’s level of care from acute to skilled rehabilitation. If acute care is needed again, the patient can be “swung” back, meaning there is no need to change facilities.

Patients being treated for an acute condition can remain in the hospital for follow-up care that than be discharged when they are not ready to go home.

It is also an option for patient who would otherwise be discharged to a nursing home when they really only need care for a few more days or weeks.
The patient stays in the same bed and receives the same care, but the services are billed differently.

Transitional Care under Medicare

A patient must need some form of skilled nursing or skilled rehabilitation service that can only be provided in a skilled nursing facility. Examples of skilled care include:
*IV therapy
Sterile dressing changes
Skin/ wound care
Rehabilitation services: Physical Therapy or Respiratory Therapy
Palliative care/ end of life care

How do I get into the Transitional Care Program?

Once your physician determines that skilled care is needed, a referral will be made to the Swing Bed Coordinator at Ward Memorial Hospital. The Coordinator will then arrange with your physician for admission into our Transitional Care Program.

How do I pay for Transitional Care?

Medicare will cover skilled Transitional Care if:
1. You have Traditional Medicare Part A and have days left in your benefit period available to use
2. You have a qualifying hospital stay (three-day, consecutive, acute care stay)
3. Your doctor has determined that you need daily skilled care
Medicare coverage is limited to 100 days of skilled Swing Bed care per illness, or will cover up to 20 days at 100%, providing the patient has a skilled need.
You may be discharged before 20 days if skilled criteria ends.

Contact our Swing Bed coordinator at swingbed@wardmemorial.com or 432-943-2511 ext. 151 for more information.