Nurse Executive Post-Acute Care Competencies

Beyond the hospital and physician’s offices, patients are cared for in specialized settings based on their specific needs. Most modern hospitals and health care systems include a number of services or programs that fall into the category of post-acute care, including institutional-based programs such as inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs) and long-term care hospitals, as well as home and community-based services, such as home health and hospice care.

Additional specialized services span the acute and post-acute care continuum, such as palliative care, hospital case management and discharge planning. The focus on population health and transitions of care require additional competencies for the nurse leader overseeing the wide array of services to manage acute episodes of care and chronic diseases.

These services are referred to as post-acute care (PAC). Transitions of care are essential elements in assuring safe quality care across the continuum. With the advent of health care reform, post-acute care is now an important partner in the continuum of care within an integrated delivery system.