MUSC Health to operate Encompass Health rehab hospital

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Encompass Health Corp. and MUSC Health plan to own and operate Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Charleston as a joint venture.

Encompass Health’s existing inpatient rehabilitation hospital at 9181 Medcom St. in North Charleston will be renamed and will operate as MUSC Health Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of Encompass Health, according to a news release.

The 49-bed hospital opened in 1993 and provides physical, occupational and speech therapies as well as 24‑hour nursing care. The hospital serves patients recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries including strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions.

The joint venture is subject to regulatory approvals.

“MUSC Health, a health care leader well known for its high-quality patient care, is a natural fit as a partner for our North Charleston hospital,” Ed Mowen, president of Encompass Health’s MidAtlantic region, said in the release.

Encompass Health will continue to manage the hospital operations and its employees. MUSC Health currently operates inpatient rehabilitation beds in Florence and Lancaster but did not have this capability in Charleston, the release said.

“The residents of our state are affected by a high incidence of serious illnesses that often require intensive rehabilitation services,” said Dr. Patrick J. Cawley, CEO of MUSC Health and vice president for health affairs at the university. “Through our collaboration with Encompass Health, we have the ability to expand services that are designed to maximize our patients’ recoveries and levels of function.”

The partnership will also give Medical University of South Carolina additional educational opportunities, according to Lisa K. Saladin, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at MUSC.

“We look forward to placing MUSC medical, nursing, pharmacy and therapy students, among others, in educational rotations where they will develop a variety of clinical skills,” she said.