North Hills ManorCare Adds State-of-the-Art Rehabilitation Center

By John Fries

When did nursing facilities become so cool, so cutting-edge? Here in western Pennsylvania, where a substantial part of our population has been among the oldest in the country for as long as any of us can remember, it’s long been a priority for medical providers to offer seniors a continuum of care that’s as complete as possible. So, when a doctor or other healthcare professional refers a patient for nursing care, it’s can easily not be about where an appropriate facility is, but which will most effectively meet the needs of the patient in question. For facilities, the challenge centers on how to be the standout residence in the marketplace.

At ManorCare, located at 1105 Perry Highway (near Three Degree Road) in the North Hills, such challenges are met on a daily basis. The facility has been offering excellent accommodations and care to residents and patients, mainly from the north suburban communities, since the 1980s. The quality of the care provided at ManorCare is so good, in fact, that the facility was recently honored with a readers’ choice award from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and was named by Pittsburgh CityPaper as one of the top 12 rehabilitation facilities in Pittsburgh.

In a region brimming with healthcare options, it’s very impressive to be considered part of the best dozen. But ManorCare is doing anything but resting on its laurels. In the spirit of continually enhancing its menu of offerings to address patient needs, ManorCare late this past summer added a state-of-the-art physical therapy and rehabilitation center to its 60-bed long-term care unit.

The physical therapy center, like the rest of the building, is contemporary and bright, while, at the same time, “comfortable and homelike,” according to Administrator Kimberly Josephs, who says that therapy, available seven days a week, is provided by experienced, expert staff led by a dedicated team of department heads. “Our new unit is modern and cutting-edge, and outfitted with brand new equipment. And we offer a full range of traditional therapies as well as such advanced modalities as diathermy and ultrasound.”

And there’s more. Adding to the pleasant ambience in the new center are an internet café and flat screen televisions. The reason for this, Josephs explains, is because Manorcare serves a wide range of ages. In fact, the facility is capable of admitting anyone over the age of 18.

“We used to be known as primarily a geriatric facility, but today, we see quite a few younger patients as well,” she says. “Even people as young as their 20s. Many of our patients require short-term rehabilitation, which means an average length of stay of 25 to 35 days. So, the TVs and internet access enable people of all ages to do here what they’d likely be doing at home in the same situation.

Josephs says that, in the current environment, hospitals are discharging patients much more quickly, and patients are not only demanding alternatives to nursing home care, but specifically expressing the desire to go to rehab-type facilities. “From ManorCare,” she adds, “60 to 75 percent of them are discharged to a lower level of care.” Most patients who receive care at Manorcare are HMO members (Highmark, Security Blue and Unison are among the many forms of insurance accepted), followed by those covered by Medicare.

ManorCare North Hills is a member of HCR ManorCare, a leading provider of short- and long-term medical and rehabilitation care that is provided through a nationwide network of skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and hospice and home care agencies.

Kimberly Josephs, ManorCare North Hills, can be reached at (412) 369-9955 or at [email protected].

NORTH HILLS MANORCARE
(412) 369-9955
www.hcr-manorcare.com.