Swing Bed Care
Not every patient is ready to go home from the hospital right away. If you are recovering from an illness or medical treatment, Columbia Memorial Hospital's Medicare-certified Swing Bed Program offers the continued care you will need to support a smooth transition from your time in the hospital to the next stage of your recovery.
Who qualifies for Swing Bed?
Medicare requires a person to have at least three nights in a row admitted as an inpatient in an acute care hospital. They must also have a skilled need that can improve. The most common are:
- Daily physical, occupational and/or speech therapy with reachable goals for improvement.
- Intravenous (IV) medications given at least once a day.
- Daily care for wounds that will heal.
Who pays for Swing Bed?
Medicare Part A benefits cover Swing Bed services in full for up to 20 days. They cover up to an additional 80 days, with co-payment, as long as there is a continued skilled need, such as those listed above.
Usually, Medicare supplements pay the co-payment when Medicare continues coverage from days 21-100. Physician visits are billed to Medicare separately and under Part B. Your physician and health care team follow your progress throughout your Swing Bed stay to make sure you continue to qualify for coverage based on federal Medicare guidelines.
Many private health insurance providers also pay for Swing Bed pending prior authorization. Self-pay is also an option.
Who is on the Swing Bed care team?
You and your loved ones are an important part of the care team. In addition, CMH caregivers joining your team may include:
- Nurses.
- Nutritional Services.
- Occupational Therapy.
- Pharmacy.
- Physical Therapy.
- Respiratory Therapy.
- Care Management/Social Work.
- Speech Therapy.
- Attending Physician (Hospitalist).
You may work with individual team members on a daily basis. The team will meet together with you at least weekly to discuss your goals, progress and plans for discharge.
What should I expect in Swing Bed?
While in the Swing Bed Program, patients are encouraged to work toward independence. This may include:
- Dressing in your own clothing.
- Increasing your ability to meet your activities of daily living (ADLs) on your own (showering/bathing, grooming and toileting).
- Eating meals out of bed.
- Participating in daily activities.
When the care plan allows it, patients may leave on day passes for home visits, outpatient medical appointments or other activities.
The goal is to prepare you for meeting your care needs when you go home, so you can expect less involvement from the nursing staff (compared to the care you received as a hospital patient) and a weekly visit from the doctor.
Your care team can assist you in personalizing your room during your stay, as well as work with you to identify activities you enjoy when you are not working on medical care items or rehabilitation services.
How long is a Swing Bed stay?
The length of a Swing Bed stay is unique to each patient. It could range from a few days to a few months. In order to continue to qualify for Swing Bed, patients must participate in daily therapies or rehabilitation care. They must also show that they are making progress toward meeting care goals.
How do loved ones participate?
Others can help by providing clothing and shoes, along with bringing a patient's personal items like glasses, hearing aids and dentures.
It is also important that loved ones provide encouragement for daily participation in care, as well as engage in any relevant teaching about how to help the patient when they go home.
A swing bed patient may designate a care partner while they are at CMH. The care partner acts as a member of the care team to assist with care activities, conversations and a smooth transition to home or other facilities. Research shows that when family and friends are present and engaged in care activities and conversations, patients experience better outcomes.