Inpatient

A Critical Access Hospital, BCMH offers both Acute Care Beds and skilled nursing Swing Beds.  Acute Care is provided for those patients needing immediate and temporary care, or for stabilization prior to discharge or transfer to another facility.  Patients admitted to Acute Care may be considered "medical" or "observation" (OBC) admissions. Patients admitted as OBC may require more time for diagnosing conditions than is appropriate for the Emergency Department. An example might involve a patient presenting with chest pain. Full admit Medical / Surgical patients need more than observation care for conditions such as pneumonia and may require a longer hospital stay to recover.

A patient may be admitted to Swing Bed if he or she has had an acute stay in the hospital for a period of three or more days and is shown to meet the criteria for skilled level nursing care.  Each patient admitted to the Swing Bed program must be under the direct supervision of a staff physician.  Examples of Swing Bed care may involve post surgical patients who have had knee or hip replacement. Swing Bed patients may need time to regain their strength and/or physical therapy prior to going home. A patient may be admitted from another facility after their medical information has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate staff.  Certain requirements must be met before approval is given.  Any questions regarding Swing Bed should be addressed to social services at 304-364-1028.

BCMH also offers a Respite Care program with four levels of care available to the community. The Respite Program provides caregivers an opportunity for rest periods from the 24-hour care they provide at home. It also allows caregivers time for a vacation with the comfort of knowing their family member is receiving continued care. Costs associated with Respite Care are based on the level of care needed and is private pay. Respite is a temporary service and payment is required at the time of admission. Respite Care is coordinated through social services and approved by the appropriate staff. Caregivers need to notify the social services department at least three days prior to the requested admission date. For more information or to schedule Respite Care, please call 304-364-1028.