RICHTON, Miss., Aug. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new and innovative Transitional Care program has been implemented in Richton, Mississippi thanks to a collaboration between Perry County General Hospital and Allevant Solutions, a joint venture between Mayo Clinic and Select Medical.

"Transitional Care is for patients who have been hospitalized due to a surgical or medical episode and are discharged from a large facility, yet still have care needs that may be best met in a Critical Access Hospital setting; such as daily nursing care, therapy treatment, or respiratory care," said Michael "Bo" Ruffin RN BSN, Chief Nursing Officer at Perry County General Hospital.  "Examples of these needs include complex care plans and assessments, frequent intravenous (IV) medications, wound care, special breathing treatments, or additional physical, occupational, or speech therapy."

To develop its Transitional Care Program, Perry County General Hospital has partnered with Allevant Solutions.  Modeled on the Mayo Clinic's successful efforts in Wisconsin and Minnesota and created by Mayo pulmonologist and Allevant Medical Director, Mark Lindsay, M.D., the Program is designed to provide access to high quality post-acute services to rural America. 

"Hospital-based Transitional Care Programs offer a number of important advantages over other post-acute options, such as readily available physicians and medical providers, on-site laboratory and radiology resources if needed, and most importantly, a patient-centered approach that includes bedside rounds with the care team on a regular schedule.  Rural hospitals like Perry County General Hospital can offer patients and families a high quality recovery option closer to home," Lindsay said.  "We are excited to join their team on this journey to offer another post-acute care choice to local residents and surrounding communities."

The Perry County General Hospital staff have been implementing new processes and participating in additional clinical education.  Most patients receiving this care at Perry County General Hospital will be covered by the Medicare Swing Bed reimbursement program; other insurers may participate as well.

"I am proud to say that Perry County General Hospital is able to provide excellent care and support for patients after a traditional hospital stay.  We staff more nurses for the number of patients cared for than in many other settings, allowing for careful attention to the patient's care plan and the ability to address issues sooner. We have an Emergency Room physician available to support care if needed, and a skilled rehabilitation therapy team.  People in our communities are growing older, and our region needs programs that are ready to provide high quality care after a traditional hospital stay for patients with medically complex conditions.  At Perry County General Hospital, you will receive exceptional care, get to know your care team by name, and trust that your needs are forefront in their decision making process," said Michael "Bo" Ruffin, RN BSN, Chief Nursing Officer at Perry County General Hospital.  

David Paris, CEO of Perry County General Hospital added, "After-hospital care needs are amplified in rural communities due to distance and services that may or may not be available in all patients' homes.  We are investing in our ability to provide this type of care to both meet the needs of our patients, but also to continue to provide great employment opportunities. We want to be the destination of choice for local patients.  We expect that our program will  attract patients from outside our community due to the quality of our program, our team-based care model, and the benefits of our small town setting.  This is a win for our patients, our employees, and our community."

About Perry County General Hospital

Perry County General Hospital is a 22 bed Critical Access Hospital located just a 40 minute drive east of Hattiesburg, MS in the community of Richton, MS.  In addition to Transitional Care, Perry County General Hospital provides general medical care, emergency, radiology, respiratory, and therapy services.  To learn more about Perry County General Hospital including employment opportunities, please visit https://www.pcghosp.com/.

About Allevant Solutions

Allevant Solutions, LLC, developed by Mayo Clinic and Select Medical offers consulting services to rural hospitals and skilled nursing homes including methodologies, algorithms and processes which incorporate clinical services, quality improvement and business expertise developed by Mayo and Select Medical. Through these services, Allevant enables its clients to increase the availability of post-acute care and also reduce the costs associated with providing the rehabilitative services that many patients need even after they have overcome a life-threatening illness or accident.  To learn more, visit www.allevant.com.

Any questions, please contact: Jordan Tenenbaum, Executive Vice President at Allevant, (m) 314-302-5373, jtenenbaum@allevant.com

SOURCE Allevant Solutions, LLC

Related Links

https://www.allevant.com