Skip to Content
    older woman in therapy with a nurse

    Swing Bed Program

    When You Need More Time to Heal
    Not strong enough to go home safely but not sick enough to stay in the hospital? Lawrence County Memorial’s Swing Bed Program can help. It provides inpatient skilled nursing care and therapy for patients who need more time to recover from an illness or injury.

    What is a "Swing Bed"?
    Swing Bed is the Medicare term for a type of patient who receives skilled nursing care and daily rehabilitation care while staying in the hospital. The patient "swings" between different levels of care while remaining in the same physical hospital bed. You may have heard this called skilled nursing care or short-term rehab. Critical Access Hospitals and rural/community hospitals with 25 beds or less, are the only facilities authorized by Medicare to offer this service.

    Who Qualifies for Swing Bed Services?
    Patients who have been in the hospital for at least 3 days but require additional skilled nursing care and/or rehabilitation services on a daily basis qualify for this program. That includes patients who need:
    • daily physical, occupational and/or speech therapy
    • care after orthopedic surgery, such as joint replacement or fractures
    • to continue or complete IV therapy, respiratory interventions
    • specialized treatment for complex wounds or wounds that won’t heal
    • more education (after hospital discharge) related to disease management
    Once goals are met or maximum recovery achieved, a member of our team will make plans for discharge.
    Top