The professional and friendly staff at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Toms River (EHTR) want to remind the community that comprehensive rehabilitation services are available to them.
Marketing Coordinator, Solangie Pabon, stressed this message by explaining that Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital provides state-of-the-art rehabilitative care to patients recovering from a variety of illnesses and injuries. This includes, but is not limited to, stroke, hip fractures, amputations, neurological conditions, orthopedic, cardiac, brain injury, spinal cord, pulmonary and diabetic disorders.
“We provide a true interdisciplinary team approach to rehabilitative services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Our advanced programs incorporate the latest technologies, treatments and resources available to patients throughout the region,” Pabon said.
Encompass Health is not a subacute rehab/nursing home, but a full-service specialty acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital. With a 7,000 square foot therapy gym, the option of transitional living in the new Activities of Daily Living Suite, access to over 150 credentialed specialty physicians, forty six registered nurses certified in rehabilitation as well as therapists with specialized training in the majority of our clinical programs and a brand new three chair inpatient hemodialysis suite opening in the near future, Encompass Health Toms River offers the community a true comprehensive rehabilitation stay and so much more!
“If my father or mother had a stroke, I would want them to go to a hospital for their rehabilitation, as opposed to a subacute nursing home. Clinically, there are many differences between acute and subacute rehabilitation.”
Regarding stroke patients, Encompass Health Toms River is certified by The Joint Commission in Stroke Rehabilitation. It is one of the most exceptional clinical programs at this hospital. When a patient is admitted to Encompass Health, they receive three sessions of therapy daily which are tailored to their individual needs. The patients are overseen by our own team of physicians as well as registered nurses round-the-clock. We have a Pharmacy in house, a strong Case Management team and a resourceful Infection Prevention Registered Nurse. The hospital also has registered dieticians and a comprehensive respiratory therapy team. “A stroke patient has a short window of time to have a positive recovery. Encompass Health Toms River provides an all-inclusive program for this type of patient so that they can safely return home as independently as possible. The average length of stay for a stroke patient at the hospital is between 14 to 21 days.” Pabon added.
When you are a patient in an acute care hospital, a case manager or a social worker will discuss a discharge plan and suggest you go to rehab, if medically indicated. Families should inquire if the suggested rehab is in a subacute nursing home or a rehabilitation hospital. There are many differences between the two levels of care, of which patients and families are frequently unaware. An inpatient acute rehabilitation hospital will give the patient the greatest dose of therapy, allowing them to perform functional tasks in a setting that motivates them to recover.
In acute rehabilitation, the average patient’s length of stay is 13.2 days or less. The goal of acute inpatient rehabilitation is to discharge the patient home and we are pleased to say that more than 80% of our patients return home. This is not the case for subacute nursing homes. Additionally, at Encompass Health, frequent administrative rounding as well as hourly rounding by the clinical team, is a hard-wired process. We know our patients!
Encompass Health wants every patient to be served at the right level of care at the right time during their recovery. If your loved one is hospitalized and is being told that they cannot tolerate acute inpatient rehabilitation, please remember that you have a choice for where your rehabilitation will occur. If you are or declining at home, patients and healthcare providers can request an admission assessment to see if our hospital is the right plan for regaining independence and you can be admitted directly from home. Please contact our Admissions Office at 732-505-5064 for a free evaluation by a Rehabilitation Liaison Nurse. Medicare requires that every patient is informed about their healthcare options so that they know that they have the right to choose their rehabilitation provider.
“For 13 of the past 14 years, Encompass Health Toms River has been recognized as one of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the United States for clinical outcomes by Uniform Data System (UDS). We want patients in the community to have the opportunity to experience the highest level of post-acute services available to them,” the CEO, Patty Ostaszewski, added.
“Having an acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital in this community is important because we have so many patients that can benefit from rehab. They do not know the difference in the levels of post-acute healthcare. Educating the community about their options can help patients and families make informed decisions. Often the decision is made for them and that is one of our concerns,” said Dr. Padma Adusumilli, Medical Director. She added, “Extensive research studies confirm that some diagnoses such as strokes and hip fractures recover much better in an acute rehabilitation setting, as opposed to a subacute rehab/nursing home environment.”
Encompass Health has so many wonderful clinical programs to offer the community. We look forward to sharing accurate information to help the public make informed decisions when the need arises.
We will be introducing our newly renovated hospital during National Rehab Week in September 2021. We welcome the community to join us on this special event. We are excited that the quality of our hospital environment now matches the high quality of patient care provided by our exceptional team. For more information on this event or to register, please email solangie.pabon@encompasshealth.com.
Encompass Health is located at 14 Hospital Drive in Toms River. You are welcome to come for a visit. Please call 732-244-3100 to schedule a tour or, for more information on our hospital, programs and services please visit us on the web at encompasshealth.com/tomsriverrehab
