Health Services

By Thomas Kindl, MD
Pain Management, Blanchard Valley Pain Management

Frequent knee pain affects approximately 25% of adults. While living an active lifestyle is one of the best things you can do for your joints, it can commonly result in injury. Common problems related to knee pain include sprained ligaments, meniscus tears, tendinitis, runner’s knee, bursitis, osteoarthritis, and excess weight. 

Common symptoms of knee pain include:

• Pain when using the stairs
• Swelling in one or more joints
• Difficulty bearing weight on the knee
• Recurring pain or tenderness
• Inability to move a joint normally

Over 32 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, a form of “wear and tear” arthritis that is the leading cause of knee pain in individuals over the age of 50.

By Emily Koogler, LSW, CCM
Social Worker-Case Manager, Bluffton Hospital

What is a swing bed?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) grants approval to critical access hospitals to provide post-acute care in the hospital setting if the facility meets certain requirements. The swing bed concept allows a critical access facility to use its beds interchangeably for either acute care or post-acute care. The patient swings from receiving acute-care services and reimbursement to receiving skilled services and reimbursement while staying in the hospital setting.

What kinds of patients are seen in a swing bed unit?
Swing bed candidates are those who desire rehab in a post-acute care setting and have a daily skilled nursing need such as IV antibiotics, wound care, etc. or a skilled therapy need for five or more days a week with the goal of returning home after a rehab stay. Candidates also include those who are stable and no longer in the diagnostic phase or testing part of treatment.