LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2012--
Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (the “Company” or “Kindred”) (NYSE:KND) today
released a year-end recap of major achievements for the Company in 2011.
Kindred’s dedication to quality and clinical performance is highlighted
in the Company’s 2011 Quality and Social Responsibility Report, which
outlines the Company’s commitment to advancing integrated care in local
healthcare delivery systems throughout the United States. The report
also recaps the Company’s “Continue the Care” strategy focusing on
person-centered care coordination, and its progress in improving quality
indicators, clinical outcomes and customer satisfaction across the
post-acute continuum. The report is available at www.kindredhealthcare.com/our-company/our-quality.
“Last year we continued to build on Kindred’s track record for quality,
patient safety and clinical outcomes across the post-acute continuum for
patients and residents nationwide,” said Paul J. Diaz, Kindred’s
President and Chief Executive Officer. “In 2012, we will advance our
strategy to partner with health systems, physicians, managed care
organizations, and acute care hospitals in local markets to better
manage episodes of care and deliver on our promise of high-quality,
person-centered healthcare.”
Major initiatives and highlights for Kindred in 2011 include:
Clinical Excellence
Kindred Outperforms National Benchmarks throughout the Enterprise
– In 2011, Kindred’s long-term acute care (“LTAC”) hospitals, nursing
and rehabilitation centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and home
health agencies outperformed national benchmarks in many key quality
indicators such as ventilator-associated pneumonia rates in our
hospitals, survey quality performance in our nursing and rehabilitation
centers, national quality measures in homecare and discharge to
community from inpatient hospital-based rehabilitation units.
Hospital Division Quality Improving – In 2011, Kindred’s LTAC
hospitals treated the sickest, most medically complex patients,
discharging nearly 70% of patients home or to a lower level of care
after an average length of stay of 28 days. From 2008 to 2011,
rehospitalization rates were reduced by 8.4%.
Top-rated Nursing Center Division – Our nursing and
rehabilitation centers continue to outperform national and peer
benchmarks on key quality indicators, including performance on
government quality inspections. Throughout 2011 Kindred ranked first on
these surveys compared with other large national providers. This top
ranking is a result of a focused commitment to quality, improved patient
outcomes, patient satisfaction and our teammates.
Patients Recovering Quicker – Despite caring for increasingly
sicker patients year after year, over half of Kindred’s patients in our
nursing and rehabilitation centers return home on average in 32 days.
Since 2008 Kindred’s nursing and rehabilitation centers discharged 16%
more patients home, decreased rehospitalization within 30 days of
admission by 8.2%, and decreased the average length of a patient stay by
27%.
RehabCare – Delivering rehabilitation services in the most sites
nationwide, RehabCare provided intense physical, occupational,
and speech-language therapies to approximately 471,000 patients and
residents in 2011, helping them to achieve more than 76% improved
function and independence from what they were able to do prior to our
care.
Homecare – PeopleFirst Homecare professionals delivered
cost-effective critical nursing and rehabilitative services to ensure a
seamless transition home and in 2011, outperformed national benchmarks
for hospital admissions.
Patient Satisfaction High – Customer satisfaction remains high
with 92% of the Company’s patients, residents and families indicating
they would recommend Kindred again for care.
Driving Care Integration – Throughout 2011, Kindred built upon
its significant and ongoing efforts to improve care coordination and
management throughout an entire patient episode of care by focusing on
pilots and partnerships, technology, physician engagement, and
initiatives to reduce rehospitalizations to best manage a patient’s
entire episode of care, reduce costs, and improve clinical outcomes.
Kindred advanced innovations in care coordination through its
participation in a number of integrated care projects including bundling
demonstrations, applying for innovation grants and partnerships with
recently announced Accountable Care Organization Pioneers.
Increased Number of Net Clinical Employees – Already one of the
nation’s largest private employers with 77,800 employees, in 2011
Kindred increased the number of net clinical employees. The sum of these
(excluding acquisitions) exceeds 3,000, including 900 new registered
nurses, 330 licensed practical nurses, 1,115 certified nursing
assistants, and 675 physical, occupational, and speech-language
therapists.
Business Growth
Kindred Acquired RehabCare – In June, Kindred completed its
merger with RehabCare Group, Inc. making the Company the largest and
most diversified post-acute healthcare services provider in the United
States. The merger added 32 LTAC hospitals, five inpatient
rehabilitation facilities, 102 inpatient hospital-based rehabilitation
units, a robust contract rehabilitation services business and
approximately 20,000 new employees to the Kindred team.
Growing Our Homecare and Hospice Division – In 2011, Kindred
expanded its homecare and hospice operations with several acquisitions
including the California operations of CareSouth HHA Holdings, LLC, a
home health company; Professional HealthCare, LLC, a provider of home
health, hospice, private duty nursing services and durable medical
equipment in northern California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah; and Synergy
Home Health Care, Inc., a provider of home health services in
Massachusetts.
New Facilities – Kindred opened Kindred Transitional Care and
Rehabilitation Center – Bridgewater – a new 120-bed Transitional Care
Center (licensed for skilled nursing care) specializing in intensive
short-term rehabilitation in Westfield, Indiana, north of Indianapolis.
The Company also opened Kindred Hospital Seattle-First Hill, a 50-bed
freestanding LTAC hospital with six intensive care unit beds and a
30-bed co-located sub-acute unit.
Future Growth – Kindred announced plans to build new and expanded
replacement LTAC hospitals in Charleston, South Carolina and Dayton,
Ohio, a replacement inpatient rehabilitation hospital (“IRH”) in Austin,
Texas, and plans for a new IRH in Humble, Texas, a northeastern suburb
of Houston. The Charleston, Dayton and Austin projects are scheduled to
open in 2012. The Humble hospital opened earlier this month. The new
Charleston hospital will be larger, have more private rooms, will be
better equipped and will have a 35-bed co-located sub-acute unit. The
new Dayton hospital will also be larger, have more private rooms, will
be better equipped and will have a 34-bed co-located sub-acute unit. The
50-bed Austin IRH will be freestanding and is replacing a 20-bed
facility that Kindred currently operates within Seton Medical Center
Austin a few blocks south of the new site. The 46-bed Humble IRH
features all private rooms and approximately 6,000 square feet of
therapy space, with rehabilitative technology, a therapy pool and
programs for patients with complex physical and cognitive needs.
Education and Corporate Citizenship
Clinical Impact Symposium – In December 2011, Kindred conducted
its 3rd Annual Clinical Impact Symposium – Cardio-Pulmonary
Rehabilitation Across the Continuum – attracting physicians, clinicians
and therapists from all divisions to learn from the nation’s leading
experts in cardio-pulmonary diseases and rehabilitation. By bringing
together over 350 professionals from across the Kindred enterprise and
from many different disciplines, Kindred furthered its commitment to
provide the best in interdisciplinary care for our patients and
customers.
Employee Training and Tuition Reimbursement – As part of the
Company’s commitment to attract, develop and retain outstanding talent
and to provide the training to continue to excel and grow
professionally, Kindred invested $34.7 million in employee training and
$2.4 million in tuition reimbursement in 2011.
Social Responsibility – Kindred’s commitment to its patients and
residents extends to helping raise money and awareness to fight the
diseases that most affect them and their loved ones. Throughout 2011,
employees nationwide participated in events and fundraisers
strengthening the Company’s state and national relationships with the
American Lung Association, Alzheimer’s Association and the American
Heart Association.
Awards
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2011 Fortune’s Most Admired Companies – Kindred ranked among the Most
Admired Healthcare Companies for the third year in a row.
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Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation – Mountain Valley in Kellogg,
Idaho, received a Gold - Excellence in Quality Award presented by the
American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted
Living (“AHCA/NCAL”). Mountain Valley is the only 2011 recipient of
this distinguished national award, and one of only 11 long-term care
providers to have ever received an award at this level. In addition,
14 of Kindred’s nursing and rehabilitation centers and one assisted
living facility were named recipients of 2011 AHCA/NCAL Silver or
Bronze National Quality Awards for demonstrating a strong commitment
to quality improvement. Since 2003, over 90% of all Kindred nursing
and rehabilitation centers have earned a National Quality Award.
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In 2011, 18 of Kindred’s nursing and rehabilitation centers received
My InnerView’s “Excellence in Action” awards, which recognizes
superior customer and workforce satisfaction.
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InformationWeek’s list of the top 25 healthcare information technology
leaders – Rick Chapman, Kindred’s Executive Vice President, Chief
Information Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, was named to the
list due, in part, to his work as one of 20 members of the federal
Health IT Policy Committee, which advises the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for
Health IT on meaningful use and other Health Information Technology
for Economic and Clinical Health programs.
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Kindred has been listed on the InformationWeek 500 for the past 13
years, competing based on innovative use of technology to improve
business results.
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2011 Modern Healthcare “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” –
For the fourth consecutive year, Modern Healthcare recognized Paul J.
Diaz among the most influential leaders in healthcare.
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The National Alzheimer’s Association named Kindred as Corporate
Honoree for 2011 at the Alzheimer’s Association Chicago Rita Hayworth
Gala. The Alzheimer’s Association annually recognizes a company or
organization for their support and dedication in the fight against
Alzheimer’s disease.
About Kindred Healthcare
Kindred Healthcare, Inc., a top-150 private employer in the United
States, is a healthcare services company based in Louisville, Kentucky
with annual revenues of $6 billion and approximately 76,900 employees in
46 states. At September 30, 2011, Kindred through its subsidiaries
provided healthcare services in over 2,250 locations, including 120
long-term acute care hospitals, five inpatient rehabilitation hospitals,
224 nursing and rehabilitation centers, 23 sub-acute units, 47 hospice
and homecare locations, 102 inpatient rehabilitation units
(hospital-based) and a contract rehabilitation services business,
RehabCare, which served approximately 1,740 non-affiliated facilities.
Ranked as one of Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Healthcare Companies
for three years in a row, Kindred’s mission is to promote healing,
provide hope, preserve dignity and produce value for each patient,
resident, family member, customer, employee and shareholder we serve.
For more information, go to www.kindredhealthcare.com.
Source: Kindred Healthcare, Inc.
Kindred Healthcare, Inc.
Susan E. Moss, 502-596-7296
Vice
President, Communications