The 20-bed rehabilitation unit provides rehabilitative care, including physical and occupational therapy combined with specialized medical and nursing care.

1. For Immediate Release May 2, 2016
Contact: Damian Becker, Manager of Media Relations
(516) 377-5370
Photo Caption: South Nassau’s 20-bed TCU provides a short-term level of care for appropriate patients whose
acute diagnosis has been stabilized but are not yet well enough to be discharged to home, a subacute rehab
facility, or a nursing home.
South Nassau’s Transitional Care Unit Wins Highest
5-Star Rating From Federal Government
Oceanside, N.Y. – South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Transitional Care Unit (TCU) is the first and
only unit of its kind on Long Island to receive the highest possible Overall Quality rating of five stars from the
US Federal Government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing Home Compare ratings
service.
The 20-bed rehabilitation unit – located directly in the hospital - provides rehabilitative care, including
physical and occupational therapy combined with specialized medical and nursing care. The unit’s goal is to
speed a patient’s transition from hospital to home.
The Overall Quality rating is based on performance measured in stars awarded, with 5 being the most in
each of the three categories: 1) Health Inspections, 2) Quality Measures and 3) Staffing. The CMS website
www.medicare.gov provides ratings of healthcare providers and services so that individuals, family members, and
caregivers can identify and compare the quality of the providers and services located in and proximate to their
communities.
“We are delighted that the federal government has now recognized what our patients and staff have
known for some time – South Nassau’s transitional care unit is among the very best on Long Island and in the
country,” said Richard J. Murphy, South Nassau’s President & CEO. “This rating validates our effort to be the
very best in all we do when it comes to quality.
“I congratulate the TCU staff for their dedication to our patients and to the high standards they have set
for themselves. Achieving a 5 star rating is a major accomplishment,” Murphy said.
According to CMS, the five-star rating means that South Nassau’s TCU is ranked among the top 10
percent nationwide. Data showed that the unit surpassed the national average bench mark on 5 out of 5 quality
and safety measures:
News From:

2. National Average SNCH TCU
Influenza vaccination 81.5% 99.6%
Pneumococcal vaccination 81.9% 99.7%
% pts w/moderate to severe pain 17.2% 0.3%
% pts. w/pressure ulcers new or worsened 1.2% 0%
% of pts newly receiving antipsychotics 2.2% 0.8%
Opened November 10, 2014, South Nassau’s 20-bed TCU provides a short-term level of care for
appropriate patients whose acute diagnosis has been stabilized but are not yet well enough to be discharged to
home, a subacute rehab facility, or a nursing home. While the length of stay in the TCU is a minimum of five to a
maximum of 21 days, the care it provides, including specialized medical and nursing care with rehabilitation
services, facilitates patients’ recovery so that after they are discharged they are prepared to achieve a seamless
transition back to their prior living arrangements.
The TCU’s guiding therapeutic and rehabilitative principle is that the patient’s active participation in
rehabilitative therapies can accelerate the transition from the hospital to home. The unit’s patient care team of
physicians, physical and occupational therapists, nurses, social workers, nutritionists and aides assess each patient
to develop a patient-centered plan of care to ensure prompt healing and recovery.
Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), South Nassau®
Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000
employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that
provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and
emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency
and elective angioplasty, and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife®
radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of
Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is an accredited
center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program. In addition, the
hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission’s gold seal of approval as a Top Performer on Key Quality
Measures, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care; and disease-specific care for hip and
joint replacement, wound care and end-stage renal disease. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.
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