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Hospital referral FAQ

How can I contact a liaison?

During these challenging times, there are multiple ways that you can contact our team for quick and efficient service. If your location has a designated liaison and you have their personal contact information, you can continue to contact them via email or cell phone. You can also find your nearest location here.


Are your liaisons available to evaluate patients?

Our liaisons are available, as they always have been, to serve as your trusted clinical experts and help you determine if inpatient rehabilitation is the right level of care for your patient. Our team of liaisons is fully staffed to quickly meet your needs as they arise.


Are you available to take patients on the weekend?

We will continue to operate over the weekend in the same manner as we always have.


Why have I not seen your liaison in my facility?

Our liaisons will comply with your facility’s preventative guidelines during this unprecedented time. This may mean you do not see our liaisons in your location. However, they are working on-site at our hospital and are available to respond to referrals. We can complete bedside screenings either at your location or by phone.


Are you able to admit patients from home during this time?

Patients and referral sources can still request in-home screenings from one of our clinical liaisons to see if inpatient rehabilitation is the right plan for regained independence. 


Is your hospital able to admit directly from the emergency department?

Our hospital may be able to admit your patient directly from the emergency room, freeing valuable bed space in your hospital. A three-night stay in the acute care hospital is not required for admission for qualified patients. This program is a consideration for people who are not sick enough to be admitted to the acute care hospital and who may be experiencing the following symptoms:

  • Balance issues or frequent falls
  • Chronic pain
  • Decline in function
  • Increased weakness and loss of energy
  • Exacerbation of chronic condition

How is your hospital protecting patients from the spread of COVID-19?

The safety of our patients, caregivers, employees and partners has always been and remains our top priority. We are following all CDC and state guidelines to keep patients safe during their post-acute stay while still maximizing the intensive therapy they need to achieve superior outcomes.

  • All equipment will continue to be cleaned between each patient
  • Social distancing recommendations between patients will be followed during therapy sessions
  • Group therapy sessions may continue with appropriate patient social distancing

Should my patient still receive rehabilitation?

We know that when patients go home too soon or skip a needed level of care there is a marked increase in those patient’s readmission rates. In order to assist in minimizing readmissions through overburdened ERs in our community, our liaisons remain available to assist you in transitioning your patients to post-acute rehabilitation hospital.

 

Home health and hospice referral FAQ

How can I sign physician orders?

Encompass Health offers an electronic format for order signing in light of our social distancing circumstances due to COVID-19. Please click here to sign your homecare orders electronically. 

How are your home health and hospice branches protecting patients from the spread of COVID-19?

Our goal during the COVID-19 pandemic is to continue providing superior care to our patients in the safety of their home, where they are less susceptible to the spread of the virus.

Click here to see our response and prevention plan.


Are you still able to provide home health and hospice services?

Our home health and hospice team is still available to:

  • Transition patients from the hospital to home through bedside or telephonic means
  • Support safe care delivery in the patient’s home, including patients with or recovering from COVID-19, therefore minimizing the risk of hospitalizations
  • Continue to be a resource to physicians and facilities by providing surveillance and reports on patients

Should my patient still receive home health or hospice care?

During this pandemic, Encompass Health is finding ways to best support our patients as associated risks of no longer receiving home health or hospice care can be significant.

Risks include social isolation that can lead to depression, increased risk of falls due to sarcopenia, risk of hospitalization or emergency care, and rapid disease progression.

Encompass Health is committed to keeping high-risk patients safe at home by providing the care they need to mitigate hospitalizations and emergent care visits.


Are telehealth technology and distance visits available for my patients?

Encompass Health has developed strategies to provide high-quality patient care while reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission by providing alternatives to traditional in-home visits. We are utilizing non-touch distance visits that are preferably performed outside of the patient’s home or facility. We also utilize technology to perform telehealth visits when a traditional in-home visit can be supplemented by a telephonic visit.

COVD-19 Updates from Encompass Health

 

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