Post-ICU Care in Cleveland: LTAC vs. Skilled Nursing

After a critical illness, many patients in Cleveland need more recovery time than a short-stay ICU or acute hospital allows—but they may still be too medically complex for a skilled nursing facility (SNF). Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) bridges that gap.

What is post-ICU long term acute care?

Post-ICU LTAC provides hospital-level care for patients who need weeks—not days—of treatment while weaning from a ventilator, healing complex wounds, or recovering from organ transplant and other catastrophic illness. Grace Hospital is Cleveland's first certified LTAC in Cuyahoga County.

LTAC vs. skilled nursing facility (SNF)

• LTAC — Hospital-level staffing, daily physician involvement, ventilator and IV therapy capability, typical stay 25+ days.
• Skilled nursing (SNF) — Lower-acuity rehabilitation for patients who no longer need daily physician-directed hospital care.
• Inpatient rehab (IRF) — Intensive therapy for patients who can tolerate 3+ hours of therapy per day.

Why Grace Hospital for post-ICU patients?

Grace Hospital is the only hospital-within-a-hospital LTAC in greater Cleveland, located inside University Hospitals. Patients benefit from ICU transfer capability, onsite specialists, EPIC EHR continuity, and programs for ventilator weaning, complex wound care, and organ transplant recovery.

Download our PDF guide: Bridging the Gap Between ICU and Skilled Nursing Care