Agreement Will Strengthen Collaboration, Help St. John’s to Care for More ALC Patients

As part of ongoing efforts to address hospital overcrowding, URMC will strengthen collaboration with St. John’s Home to help the skilled nursing facility serve more patients after hospitalization. Located a short distance from both hospitals, St. John’s Home provides rehabilitation services and long-term care for hundreds of patients discharged from Strong and Highland each year.

Both hospitals have operated above 100 percent of licensed bed capacity continuously for years, and “alternate level of care” (ALC) patients–who are medically stable and awaiting discharge to a skilled nursing facility–are a major reason why.  The Finger Lakes region has lost approximately 1,000 staffed skilled nursing beds since 2020, dramatically increasing the number of ALC patients occupying hospital beds.  It’s not uncommon for these patients to represent 10 percent or more of Strong and Highland hospitals’ total inpatient capacity.

Under terms of an agreement signed with St. John’s, two URMC leaders will serve on the St. John’s Board, creating additional synergies between the institutions. URMC will work directly with St. John’s to help the nursing home open more beds. URMC and St. John’s will also collaborate to create services for ALC patients with special care needs that cause delays in discharge to nursing homes that lack those specialized services. Ideas being considered are a pediatric unit for children who need skilled nursing care and a dialysis center within the St. John’s facility.

"The inability of nursing homes to fully staff their beds stresses our region’s ability to meet community demand for inpatient care,” said Steve Goldstein, president and CEO for Strong and Highland hospitals, and senior vice president for URMC. Noting that the Finger Lakes region has fewer hospital beds per capita than any other part of New York State, Goldstein said, “Extending our collaboration with St. John’s Home is one more way we are working to help patients receive high-quality treatment in the most appropriate care setting.”

Kathy Parrinello, chief operating officer for SMH and executive vice president for URMC, said high ALC patient volumes lengthen ED wait times, stress overburdened hospital staff, and require the hospital to care for patients in hallways as they await an inpatient room.

“We are grateful to the doctors, nurses, and staff members who work heroically every day to provide high-quality care to every patient under trying conditions,” Parrinello said. “Our new agreement with St. John’s is the latest example of how we are working with partners to support our staff and improve patient care in our community.”

6/10/2024