Northwest Arkansas Hospitals Expand Physical Rehab To Meet Need

STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES Stacey Clark, a certified occupation therapy assistant, works April 11 with a patient in the inpatient gym in Fayetteville. The hospital, part of Washington Regional Medical Centeer, is expanding its facilities by adding a building. Also slated for construction is the old pool that will be filled in and renovated allowing the gym to be moved and expanded.

STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES Stacey Clark, a certified occupation therapy assistant, works April 11 with a patient in the inpatient gym in Fayetteville. The hospital, part of Washington Regional Medical Centeer, is expanding its facilities by adding a building. Also slated for construction is the old pool that will be filled in and renovated allowing the gym to be moved and expanded.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

A growing population and the increasing number of strokes in Arkansas are among several forces bumping up the need for physical rehabilitation services, and area hospitals are taking steps to meet the demand, officials say.

Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville is planning the biggest change, approving millions of dollars to add 20 beds to HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital by next year. The hospital has 60 beds and works as a joint venture with the medical center.

By The Numbers

HealthSouth

w Size: 60 beds, 2 patients per room

w Occupancy: About 50, some must be isolated

w Expansion: Adds 20 beds

w Cost: Up to $7.4 million, split 50/50 between Washington Regional Medical Center and HealthSouth

Source: Staff Report

Likewise, Northwest Health System added a doctor to its recently expanded rehab department in Springdale, and Mercy Northwest Arkansas bought or began expanding two related clinics this year in Benton County.

HealthSouth officials said they've simply run out of space. The number of patients seeking help after severe injuries or other ailments has grown steadily for several years, said Bill Bradley, the medical center's chief executive. The hospital's rehab beds are typically 80 percent full, and most are in shared rooms.

"Once you reach 78 percent, you're basically full," Dan Eckels, chief financial officer, told the medical center's board during a February meeting.

The plan is to add a 9,300-square-foot building to the rehab hospital, connected by a walkway. This, combined with a simultaneous renovation, would create enough space to give every patient his own room, Eckels said. The hospital will stay open throughout the process.

Construction is planned to begin in July. All told, it will cost $7.4 million, split equally between HealthSouth and the medical center.

"It's with the growing population -- we're just trying to accommodate that," said Brian Barr, HealthSouth's marketing director. "We're not able to serve everybody that can benefit from our services."

Residents older than 65 jumped by almost 40 percent since 2000 to 22,000 today in Washington County, according to the U.S. Census.

"We're experiencing the exact same thing," said Pat Driscoll, Northwest Health spokeswoman.

The Springdale hospital added 30,000 square feet last summer, including 1,000 square feet for rehab, she said. Since then the system also went from two rehab doctors to three by hiring Dr. George Deimel. Deimel attended the University of Arkansas for his undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree and is returning to Fayetteville from Minnesota.

"We've already expanded our area, we're just now bringing in the new doctors," Driscoll said.

She pointed to a high number of strokes, often caused by blood clots in the brain, as one reason behind the greater need. Strokes are more common in the South than in any other region of the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 80,000 Arkansans suffer a stroke each year, according to the state Department of Health, and each of them is more likely to die from that stroke in Arkansas than in any other state.

"Arkansas leads the nation," Driscoll said, noting many people survive strokes but lose some mobility, at least temporarily.

In Rogers, Mercy added six physicians with the purchase of an Ozarks Orthopaedics clinic last month. And in Bella Vista, Mercy's Sugar Creek clinic is being remodeled for physical therapy and other rehabilitative services for 50 to 70 patients a day.

"We're going to see a large influx of more patients that are qualified for cardiac rehab," said Charlotte Rankin, Mercy vice president of clinical operations, pointing to the federal decision late last year to cover cardiac rehab under Medicare. "We're trying to be prepared."

Regional changes also play a role, said Jessica Eldred, Mercy spokeswoman.

"Especially with our trail systems coming on, we have more people running and doing half marathons and that kind of thing," she said, referring to the Razorback Greenway and other trail projects that now crisscross Northwest Arkansas. "All of that of course brings more injuries, and along with that comes more need to serve patients."

The Washington Regional expansion plan comes after 2014 salaries for all medical center employees were frozen. Bradley said in December decreased Medicare reimbursements and early difficulties with the federal health care reform law had lowered earnings enough to make the freeze necessary.

Earlier this month, Bradley said splitting the cost helped make the HealthSouth addition possible. He said construction costs and salaries are paid for differently.

"Our concerns about the full impacts of health reform remain," Bradley said.

Barr, with HealthSouth, said the hospital is considering hiring more doctors.

"We will be hiring more staff as the census continues to rise," he said.

NW News on 04/20/2014