A Network analysis of regional data on rehab/CCC patients with COVID-19 is providing insights to support ongoing planning during the pandemic. Fifteen rehab/CCC members are submitting data on COVID-19 rehab/CCC discharges and the Network has recently completed analysis on the period from March to July 2020.

During that period, members reported 319 discharges of patients with COVID-19 from rehab/CCC. Key findings include the following:

  • High intensity rehab
    • High intensity rehab proved beneficial: Based on FIM assessments, deconditioned patients with COVID-19 achieved functional gains and over 80% were discharged home.
    • Inpatient rehab length of stay was usually less than four weeks: The majority of patients were discharged by the end of week three of rehab, with a small proportion (8%) requiring more than four weeks of high intensity rehab.
  • Low intensity rehab
    • Longer CCC length of stay required for 24% of patients: Although the majority of patients (76%) were discharged in one to five weeks, approximately one-quarter (24%) required a CCC stay of six weeks or longer.

Rehab hospitals identified the following services as essential in discharge planning for patients recovering from COVID-19: home and community care; outpatient rehab/ambulatory clinics and day programs; community services supporting mental health and bereavement; and support for the transition to home. Referrals to some of these services were challenging in wave one, due to reduced/closed services or virtual care format.

A number of changes have been made to data submission to ensure the Network’s analysis continues to provide members with useful information in wave two of the pandemic (i.e., smaller dataset, quarterly reporting instead of monthly).

The Network is also regularly convening leaders from the freestanding rehab/CCC hospitals to share information on planning strategies to address the impact of COVID-19. This has included sharing information on ramping up plans and visitor policies, discussing opportunities for consistency in policies for admitting patients with COVID-19 who need rehabilitative care, and exploring ways to coordinate strategies and protocols to ensure patients continue to have access to specialized care.

For more information on the data reporting project, please contact Sharon Ocampo-Chan, Project Manager. For information on the rehab/CCC information-sharing meetings, please contact Sue Balogh, Project Manager.