UK HealthCare to Expand, Operate Outpatient Clinic and Therapy Services at Cardinal Hill
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 4, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved the lease of space by UK Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) from Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital operated by Encompass Health. The space leased will be used by UK HealthCare to begin operating the outpatient services currently offered by Cardinal Hill beginning in the late summer or early fall. This agreement will not include or affect the inpatient or skilled rehabilitation staff or services at Cardinal Hill.
UK’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department utilizes a multidisciplinary team to care for patients who have severe neurological or musculoskeletal impairments with the goal of restoring each patient to their highest possible level of medical, psychological, social and vocational function.
In the move, UK plans to consolidate and expand its UK PM&R outpatient clinic currently located at UK Good Samaritan Hospital. It will also expand outpatient therapy services already at the Cardinal Hill site and create a “one-stop-shop” for patients transferred from UK to Cardinal Hill as inpatients, enabling them to see their UK doctors for follow-up care and receive their ongoing therapy at Cardinal Hill.
“After five years of steady growth, including doubling outpatient visits, UK HealthCare’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) was in great need of expansion,” said UK Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. Mark Newman. “This arrangement will allow us to provide these much-needed services in these much-needed diagnostic areas.”
The Department of UK Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation has been located at Cardinal Hill since the department was formed in 1982. Encompass Health (formerly HealthSouth) bought Cardinal Hill from the Kentucky Easter Seals Society (KESS) in May 2015.
“Since 1950, Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital has helped many people regain the independence and confidence needed to move beyond their illness or injury,” said Jarrett Millsaps, CEO of Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. “Even though outpatient therapy services will no longer be provided by the Cardinal Hill team, UK HealthCare’s expansion of its outpatient rehabilitation services will be a positive continuation of the outpatient care we provided for many years. Cardinal Hill will continue making an impactful difference in the lives of individuals through its inpatient and skilled rehabilitation services.”
“The additional clinic space fits seamlessly with the strategic planning goals of PM&R to meet the growing needs of UK HealthCare, while also creating efficiency by locating all the faculty near the therapist for program development and outpatient growth opportunities,” said Dr. Susan McDowell, chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
The expansion and renovation will add an additional 19,000 square feet of space to develop UK’s therapy programs with an emphasis on care for stroke, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries and developing evidence-based spine and musculoskeletal therapies. An additional 13,835 square feet will be used for clinic space and once completed will include 27 clinic rooms.
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