Respiratory Health Services (RHS) is the leader in the provision of respiratory services to the long-term care industry. Respiratory Health Services currently operates in 17 states in the eastern Uni

RHS provides a full range of respiratory therapy for all acuity levels, including those requiring high Oxygen level tracheostomy care, complex pulmonary care and ventilator management. RHS’ clinical program includes continually measuring and reporting quantifiable outcomes for our ventilator and complex pulmonary patients and residents to our contract facilities on a quarterly basis.

Supplies/Equipment/ Oxygen
An RHS contract offers competitive pricing on our complete line of respiratory equipment, supplies and oxygen modalities. While we provide on-site management of equipment and supplies to effectively manage a par level inventory, we also offer maintenance of center-owned respiratory equipment. Additionally, weekly change out of respiratory supplies on all patients can be provided by RHS and includes patient specific monthly invoicing to our centers.

Maximize Rehabilitation Potential
Complex pulmonary patients require many modalities to meet their needs. RHS has developed a pulmonary program to manage high flow oxygen patients who would have traditionally remained in the hospital. We currently manage 100 high flow oxygen patients across our centers. Utilizing the latest technologies and innovations, we can now manage these patients in long-term care centers that do not have piped-in oxygen. Our management of complex respiratory patients allows them to access rehabilitation therapy sooner and maximize their potential earlier than in traditional skilled nursing units. Patients experience increased endurance in therapy modalities, potentially qualifying the center for higher reimbursement. Our disease management program has helped patients and their families to better manage post discharge, resulting in fewer disease state exacerbations.

Medication and Oxygen Reduction Protocols
RHS has developed medication and oxygen reduction protocols. Working with the center Physician, our therapists evaluate patients to safely and effectively change ordered medications to reduce drug costs. Our oxygen protocol helps to safely reduce patient use of oxygen and find the most cost effective oxygen portability option for patients and residents. Our goal is to have the greatest positive impact on a patient’s quality of life.

Census Development
RHS has helped centers reduce discharges to the hospital as well as reduce mortality rates. This results in an increased and more stable facility census. A dedicated respiratory program gives your center, with the help of RHS, the opportunity to market to hospitals, managed care companies and physicians. This has proven to improve the quality census growth in our partner centers.

As the graph above indicates, prior to implementation of a RHS program, the Long-Term care center had 21.7% of its pulmonary patients discharged back to the acute care hospital for pulmonary problems. After the center initiated a RHS program, the rate of discharges back to the acute care hospital reduced to 12%.

Tracheostomy Decannulation Protocol
RHS has developed a tracheostomy decannulation protocol that has helped many of our patients successfully have their tracheostomy tubes removed. On average, RHS takes care of 300 tracheostomy patients per day across our centers. Many of these patients are currently progressing through RHS’ decannulation process. Our experienced respiratory therapists provide on-site monthly tracheostomy tube changes, avoiding the need to make more complicated and costly arrangements either in or out of the facility.

Ventilator Management Program
RHS has extensive experience managing and staffing ventilator units. RHS is currently the largest provider of long-term care ventilator management in the United States. To date we currently manage 17 Ventilator Programs, and that number is growing. On any given day we manage over 200 ventilator patients. Our program offers the option of managing existing ventilator support units or developing new programs. We can transition current respiratory staff or recruit, interview, perform background checks, hire and train our own therapists. Overtime pay, vacation and sick time are managed and absorbed by RHS.

With the clinical expertise of our respiratory therapists, our ventilator program focuses on liberating patients from prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). Our units boast many success stories of sending patients home free from ventilator support. We believe that our Pulmonologist-developed weaning protocols are responsible for our many successes. Should a patient be unable to be liberated from PMV and discharged to home as a safe option, RHS will work with discharge planning and the home care companies of choice to make this happen.

RHS offers a wide range of activities to our PMV patients that include trips to ball games, movies, and shopping centers. Recently, one of our ventilator-dependent residents graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree while residing in a contracted center. We know that quality of life is of utmost importance to our all our PMV patients and residents.

Educational Programs
In addition to these services, RHS also assists our contracted centers with an extensive suite of educational programs geared specifically to long-term care. We offer hands-on workshops and training that includes competency checks with return demonstration. All in-services are available to nursing center staff for day, evening and night shifts, as well as to the patients and their families. RHS offers the following educational modules:

Ventilator Management
Ventilator In-Line Medication Administration
Tracheostomy Management
Naso-tracheal Suctioning
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Incentive Spirometry
Oxygen High Pressure Cylinders
Oxygen Administration
BiPAP/CPAP
Pulmonary Medications
Pulse Oximetry
Assessing Respiratory Status
Breath Sounds
Directed Cough
Flutter Valve
Liquid Oxygen

In addition to these modules, RHS offers all of its centers continuing educational support, including in-servicing new hires and providing ongoing support for all staff as required. These in-services are often necessary when considering whether to accept patients who require equipment and services not routinely provided by a center. RHS has instructed nursing and clinical staff in the use and care of patients with trans-tracheal oxygen, cofflator therapy, vest therapy and closed suction. These modalities have all seen a growth in long term care in recent years.

Marketing
RHS will assist in marketing your facility to hospitals, discharge planners, Pulmonologists, and managed care organizations to increase high acuity patient census. Our marketing team can assist in the development of facility marketing materials. Our skilled respiratory therapists can perform on-site pre-admission screening of patients to optimize patient care and minimize transfer difficulties. RHS provides a comprehensive Policy and Procedure manual for all respiratory modalities to our clinical respiratory contract customers.