The transitional care unit at Passavant Area Hospital was recognized as one of the top short-term rehabilitation facilities in the nation.

The unit was named a Best Nursing Home for 2020-21 by U.S. News & World Report, placing the unit among the top 21 percent of skilled nursing facilities in the country, hospital officials said.

Passavant Area Hospital’s 15-bed transitional care unit is located within the hospital but is considered a short-term care facility for patients transitioning from the hospital to home or from one care setting to another.

“This endorsement recognizes our commitment to deliver the highest quality care to our short-term rehabilitation residents,” said Dr. Scott Boston, Passavant Area Hospital president and CEO.

The nonprofit hospital’s transitional care unit earned Best Nursing Homes status by achieving a rating of “High Performing,” the highest possible rating for a short-term rehabilitation facility, Boston said. U.S. News gives the designation of Best Nursing Home only to those with excellent performance in quality measures and those that satisfy U.S. News’ assessment of the appropriate use of key services, he said.

“We have a unique situation at Passavant Area Hospital, with our transitional care unit located within the hospital but considered its own stand-alone unit,” said Jessica Ford, a registered nurse and nurse manager for Passavant’s transitional care unit. “This allows our staff to work alongside hospital inpatient nursing teams to discuss and learn new best practices, which directly benefit our residents. Other skilled nursing facilities do not have that same opportunity for collaboration.”

Nursing home profile pages include a patient safety summary that reflects COVID-19 data alongside other measurements of safety and related advice on choosing a home or facility during the pandemic.

“This recognition is proof of our steadfast commitment to deliver the best care to our transitional care unit residents, even in a year like 2020, when COVID-19 safety protocols saddled skilled nursing facilities with restrictions that often made it difficult to deliver the very personal care our residents expect,” Ford said. “Working within safety protocols, we continue to provide that high-quality care, and this recognition formally acknowledges that success.”