Long Term Acute Care

Understanding LTAC

Ventilated patients, patients requiring extended intravenous antibiotic therapy, and the medically complex patient comprise the population of an LTAC. The LTAC at Wellstar Windy Hill is a 50-bed in-patient unit which provides services for patients requiring continued medical care for an extended period, generally more than acute care hospitals. The LTAC recruits registered nurses who possess a higher skill set much like that of a Progressive Care Unit (PCU).

The team of professionals care for patients with primary medical conditions with an average length of stay of 25-30 days. Admitted patients have multiple medical diagnoses which require an acute stay. The objective is to provide goal-oriented care over an extended period to provide optimal recovery for our patients.
The Wellstar LTAC provides:

• All Private rooms
• Visiting hours are from 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Board-certified pulmonologist medical director
• Professional registered nurses
• Respiratory therapists with 3-5 years’ experience in critical care
• Highly skilled Rehabilitation Specialists including physical therapists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists
• Dedicated wound, ostomy and continence nurses (WOCN)
• Rounding/attending hospitalists and nurse practioners
• Convenient location off I-75 offers numerous dining options for visitors
• Free parking

Patients admitted to the Wellstar LTAC at Wellstar Windy Hill include:

• Mechanically ventilated patients
• Tracheostomy patients
• Ongoing treatment for respiratory or cardiac failure
• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• Extensive wound care
• Long-term IV antibiotic therapy
• Multi-system failure
• Telemetry
• Nutritional therapy

Prior to admission, patients and their families should know that we:

• Encourage families to tour the facility
• Offer weekly interdisciplinary team meetings to evaluate patient progress
• Focus on quality outcomes
• Have above national average for vent weaning rates
• Offer a rehabilitation gym
• Staff wound-care specialists
• Have on-site hemodialysis and hyperbaric

During your stay

While patients are at the LTAC they can expect daily rounding by the clinical staff with weekly specialized team meetings as well as a personalized treatment plan developed based upon individual needs.

Professional registered nurses are involved in the patient's daily care. The RN is specially trained to provide the complex care that is required for the LTAC patient population. They draw on their clinical expertise and critical thinking skills to provide excellent nursing care. The RN coordinates the patient’s interdisciplinary plan of care in collaboration with all of the other clinicians and the patient’s family, keeping the patient at the center of the care delivery team.

Preparing for discharge

Recovery is ongoing. When a loved one is discharged from Wellstar Windy Hill, the journey continues. Our patients are discharged home with/without home health, to acute rehab facilities, or sub-acute facilities. Our care coordinators with with you, as the patient, to identify the best discharge plan based on your needs and clinical state.