Kindred was founded in Louisville, KY in the year of 1985. Since then, locations have been spread across 18 states in the US. It is still privately owned, but there are shareholders whom have purchased a portion into their companies. These facilities focus on transitional care for recovering patients. These facilities can provide care which is provided in a traditional hospital setting, but in a smaller facility. Kindred focuses on transitioning patients from hospital to home or other long-term living situations, however they do have small intensive care units. In Albuquerque, NM Kindred has a six-bed intensive care unit for those patients whom become seriously ill or worsen while in their care.
Other types of care provided are IV Antibiotic Therapy, Pulmonary Care, Wound Care, Diabetes Management Services, Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, Palliative Care, Rehabilitation Services, Stroke and Brain Injury Care, Organ Transplant Care. These services are very important to those individuals recovering from such conditions and their family members as well since often family members do not have the time, money, or resources to provide such care at home.
Since American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) is a quality program specifically for not-for-profit organizations, it does not apply to Kindred, as Kindred is a private for profit organization. The AAHSA is used to ensure every member is providing the best quality services to their patients possible while also reforming the existing views on aging. The AAHSA is assists in establishing innovativeness concerning how the aging population is served. Also ensuring their initiatives meet the needs of older adults. AAHSA would apply if Kindred was a non-profit organization.
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is the largest association of long term and post-acute care providers. AHCA supports the long-term care community of care providers. This association advocates for those individuals who may not be able to advocate for themselves. These individuals can be disabled, elderly, have suffered trauma, or other illnesses. Those who are unable to advocate of themselves need others such as the AHCA to ensure they are within a facility that has their best interest and healthcare needs in mind. Quality care needs to be a top priority for providers and healthcare facilities need to be monitored since they are long term facilities and their residents/patients spend 80-100% of their everyday lives within the facility of choice. When an organization is licensed through the AHCA this ensures they meet the requirements and proves their high quality of care that is provided to their patients.
The administration on aging impact service availability quality at the facility includes the following:
- Ensures elderly patients are informed what the healthcare goals are and how they will be met
- Elderly patients are informed on what they will be provided and what is needed from them to ensure the best care outcome possible.
- Should the elderly patient fall victim to any form of neglect or abuse, they are assured they will be heard out and proper reporting and other measures will be taken on their behalf as needed.
- At Kindred all patients are treated with respect and high quality of care, this ensure all patients receive their individualized care to better their quality of life and over all healthcare outcomes.
Kindred is a well-established facility that can provide high quality of care to patients and has outside resources if needed. Kindred works closely with insurance companies and other hospitals in coordinating continued care for patients whom are discharged. The facility is large enough and located in a central part of town which is easy to access. They offer a good amount of services for which they are specialized in. Patients can receive all care needed while admitted into the facility such as meals, rehabilitation therapies, and physicians whom are needed for consultations or frequent check-ups on patients.
The only way they could possibly become more versatile would be if they offered home healthcare from nurses or care givers. This would increase the revenue of Kindred without needing to add additional facilities or beds since these patients would be checked on and treated in their own homes. There would need to be a central scheduling and HR office for these employees to report to, but this could be an office within the already established facility. Staffing of these individuals would also be able to be remote since nursing staff would have the equipment needed to check their patients and if any Home Medical Equipment is needed, it would have been ordered by the prescribing doctor and delivered to the patient’s home by an HME supplier.
Overall Kindred is an asset to the long-term care community as well as to rehabilitation patients in need. The care a patient receives when recovering from a rehabilitating or other serious illness, is crucial to the outcome of their health. A patient can do great in the hospital then go home and hurt themselves from putting too much strain on themselves or not following doctors’ orders. This can happen unintentionally as well. A patient can easily misunderstand discharge instructions give after a heart attack or how to clean a major wound. If they are in Kindred or similar facility, they have trained personnel there to ensure these needs are met.
References
- Ali, M. M. (2013). Healthcare service quality: Towards a broad definition.
- International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 26(3), 203-19. doi:http://dx.doi.org.nauproxy01.national.edu/10.1108/09526861311311409
- Kroon, S (2012). Working to Improve Safety for Patients and Employees.
- Retrieved from https://www.kindredhealthcare.com/resources/blog-kindred-continuum/2012/09/05/working-to-improve-safety-for-patients-and-employees
- Naidu, A. (2009). Factors affecting patient satisfaction and healthcare quality.
- International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 22(4), 366-81. doi:http://dx.doi.org.nauproxy01.national.edu/10.1108/09526860910964834
- Types of Care. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14, 2019, from
- https://www.kindredhealthcare.com/locations/transitional-care-hospitals/kindred-hospital-albuquerque/types-of-care
- Van, d. H., Niemeijer, G. C., & Ronald J.M.M. Does. (2013). Measuring healthcare
- quality: The challenges. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 26(3),
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