An interesting article recently appeared in Senior Housing News regarding Sunrise Senior Living’s foray into providing short term post-hospital and post-rehab care in its assisted living facilities: http://seniorhousingnews.com/2014/09/25/sunrise-program-targets-huge-opportunity-in-assisted-living/. With the Affordable Care Act’s emphasis on reducing hospital re-admissions, we expected an increase in partnerships between hospitals and assisted living facilities and Sunrise appears to be one of the first companies to take the plunge.
Sunrise’s “Road Home Program” targets non-residents who have been discharged from the hospital or a rehabilitation facility, but are not yet capable of living back at home without some assistance. These short-term residents stay no more than thirty (30) days and are permitted to enjoy all the amenities offered at the facility.
This partnership potentially benefits everyone involved. For the hospital, having a discharged patient in an assisted living setting while he or she recovers reduces the risk of non-compliance with post-discharge care orders which would otherwise lead to readmission and penalties under the Affordable Care Act. For Sunrise, when that short-term resident is ready to transition into assisted living full-time, he or she will be more likely to choose a Sunrise facility after having become familiar with it from the previous stay. For the patient, he or she gets to have a longer period in which to recover with some assistance to ensure a full recovery as well as the opportunity to see if assisted living might be the right choice for him or her.
