10.27.06 - Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital Achieves National/Federal Certifications

Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital has successfully completed two major certifications of its services giving it the distinction of being the only licensed long term acute care hospital in the Inland Northwest that is nationally accredited.

Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital (NIACH) is now nationally recognized as an accredited long term acute care hospital by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. In addition, NIACH, which has been caring for patients since February, achieved its Medicare certification earlier this month.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stipulate that a hospital seeking long term acute care status must have a average 25-day length of stay for Medicare patients. These federal health officials analyzed the hospital’s ability to care for medically complex patients for extended periods and certified the hospital once the study was complete.

The recent accreditation followed an intense survey of the hospital’s services and practices. The accreditation means NIACH has met or exceeded the national standards for health care quality and safety.

“These accreditations and certifications validate the care we have been delivering for the past eight months,” said Rick Richards, CEO. “It means a lot to us to be formally recognized by Medicare and to be nationally accredited, but it is truly the patients who benefit.”

Unlike nursing homes and skilled nursing centers, Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital takes seriously ill patients from the acute hospital setting with the goal of stabilizing the patient and, through advanced medical care and rehabilitation, moves them toward independence or the next appropriate level of care.

The intense level of services offered at Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital is unlike any other in the region. To bring the patient to their highest level of self-sufficiency, a team comprised of doctors, social workers, therapists and nurses works with the patient and family members on a daily basis. Many patients, once they require a lower level of care, will be discharged from NIACH to other regional facilities that handle that specific level, such as acute rehabilitation or skilled nursing.

The 40-bed facility features eight high-observation rooms, a 6,000 square-foot therapy gym, aquatic therapy pool, outdoor therapy courtyard and full-service bistro. The hospital is outfitted with state-of-the-art digital imaging technology along with the latest in information technology, linking it to dozens of other medical facilities throughout the Northwest.

The Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital is part of a network of rehabilitation and long-term acute care hospitals throughout the western states operated by Ernest Health, Inc.

Learn more by going to NIACH.ernesthealth.com