When a patient no longer needs the high level of care provided during an inpatient hospital stay, yet isn't well enough to return home, then transitional care may be the answer. By providing such care, St. Mary's Hospital of Superior allows many patients to stay near their homes as they continue to recover from a surgery, an injury or an illness. Patients can use transitional care or "swing beds" regardless of where they were hospitalized.

Simply talk to the physician, or to the social worker or case manager planning the discharge for the hospital. A stay can be as short as a few days or as long as several months.

Our physicians, nurses, rehabilitation staff, social worker, chaplain and pharmacist act as a team to establish a personalized treatment plan. They meet daily to evaluate the patient’s progress and update the plan.

Most transitional care patients receive rehabilitation services and every day they are encouraged to do more for themselves. They have the advantage of being on the same floor with acute care patients, which means they have all the advantages of the hospital, including 24-hour-a-day emergency care, lab, imaging services and doctors on site.

Transitional care is covered by Medicare and many private insurance companies but may require pre-certification.