Post-ICU Care FAQs

Six Most Important Questions to Ask When Choosing Post-ICU Care

If it were your loved one, would you want them to be here? No one can make the decision for you. While you are considering where your loved one will get the best possible care, it can help to ask your physician or discharge planner, “If it were your loved one…?”
Are tours or virtual tours available? Family members need to trust a facility to maximize every opportunity for recovery, particularly when the patient is unable to communicate their wishes. Ask for a tour or virtual tour in advance to get a feel for how suitable the setting is to your loved one’s needs.
What is the training and education level of nurses? Ask if nursing staff includes registered nurses and if they have specialized training in critical care. Registered Nurses, RNs, complete extensive training and rigorous board examinations to provide expert bedside care alongside physicians.
What type of access do patients have to physicians and other specialists? Ask if physicians are available on-site and if they include medical and surgical subspecialists, therapists and rehabilitation experts.

At Barlow Respiratory Hospital, physician is on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our multidisciplinary medical team is led by our Medical Director, Dr. David Nelson, M.D., Board Certified Pulmonologist.

At Barlow Respiratory Hospital, care includes access to specialized affiliated physicians and medical and surgical subspecialists. Our interdisciplinary clinical teams include certified Critical Care Registered Nurses with specialized knowledge of nursing care of acutely and critically ill patients who work as a team with our licensed Respiratory, Occupational and Physical therapists, registered dieticians and speech language pathologists.
How are treatment plans developed? Ask how treatment plans are developed at any facility you are considering. Your loved one will need a plan, and you’ll want to be aware of it, soon after admission.
How is discharge planning and insurance coverage addressed? Ask who will be available to your family to help verify insurance benefits and answer questions about next steps in care. Each patient will need a discharge plan, and a plan for how insurance will cover it.

At Barlow Respiratory Hospital, we accept Medicare, Medi-Cal and private insurance. Soon after admission to Barlow Respiratory Hospital, we will begin to develop a discharge plan for the next step in recovery. Our Barlow team takes time to accommodate each patient’s individual needs to arrange for the most appropriate placement in the next setting. Our Admissions and Discharge Planning teams are available to answer your questions.
Where are you located? Barlow Respiratory Hospital serves patients from all over California and beyond.

At Barlow Respiratory hospital, we have three locations: our main hospital is located near downtown Los Angeles and we operate two satellite locations, in Van Nuys and in Whittier, to serve the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys and neighboring counties and communities including Santa Barbara, Ventura and Kern Counties, Orange County, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

If you have questions about post-ICU care for your patient or loved one, call our Barlow Admissions info line at 213-202-6878.