Encompass Health and Baptist Health announce plans to build new inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Kentucky

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC) and Baptist Health today announced they have received a certificate of need to build and operate a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Louisville, KY. The hospital is expected to operate as a joint venture between Encompass Health and Baptist Health.

The parties anticipate the future hospital will be located near the intersection of Blankenbaker Parkway and Bluegrass Parkway in Jeffersontown and will replace Baptist Health's 29-bed unit currently located on the Baptist Health Louisville campus. The new hospital is expected to begin providing inpatient rehabilitation services in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The project combines the expertise and resources of Encompass Health, the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative healthcare services, and Baptist Health, the largest non-profit health system in Kentucky, headquartered in Louisville, with nine hospitals and more than 2,700 licensed beds.

"We are excited to expand and grow our rehabilitation services in Kentucky with Baptist Health, a forward-thinking and well–respected healthcare leader that has been a premier provider of acute inpatient rehabilitation to Louisville residents and beyond for more than 40 years," said Troy DeDecker, president of Encompass Health's central region. "Through the new inpatient rehabilitation hospital, we will work together to provide our patients with coordinated and connected care that meets them where they are in their healthcare journeys and makes a positive difference in their lives."

"As Jefferson County remains one of the fastest growing counties in the state with an increased demand for rehabilitation services, the addition of this highly specialized inpatient rehabilitation hospital will meet a critical need in our local communities," said Jody Prather, MD, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Baptist Health. "The new freestanding hospital will improve patient access to rehabilitation services and allow us to be a regional destination for care, expanding beyond the Baptist Health network to accept and support patients from many facilities in the region that do not have inpatient rehabilitation services."

Complementing local acute care services like those provided by Baptist Health, this inpatient rehabilitation hospital will serve patients recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries, including strokes and other neurological disorders, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions. In addition to 24–hour nursing care, this hospital will offer physical, occupational and speech therapies to restore functional ability and quality of life.

About Baptist Health
Founded in 1924 in Louisville, Kentucky, Baptist Health is a full-spectrum health system dedicated to improving the health of the communities it serves. The Baptist Health family consists of nine hospitals, employed and independent physicians, and more than 400 points of care, including outpatient facilities, physician practices and services, urgent care clinics, outpatient diagnostic and surgery centers, home care, fitness centers, and occupational medicine and physical therapy clinics.

Baptist Health's eight owned hospitals include more than 2,300 licensed beds in Corbin, Elizabethtown, La Grange, Lexington, Louisville, Paducah, Richmond and New Albany, Indiana. Baptist Health also operates the 410-bed Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville in Madisonville, Kentucky in a joint venture with Deaconess Health System based in Evansville, Indiana. Baptist Health employs more than 23,000 people in Kentucky and surrounding states.

Baptist Health Louisville is the system's largest hospital and has been recognized as the #1 rated hospital in the Louisville Metro area by U.S. News and World Report in 2021-22, receiving this designation nine out of the last 10 years. In June, the hospital earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval^® and the American Stroke Association's Heart-Check mark for Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center Certification.

Baptist Health is the first health system in the U.S. to have all of its hospitals recognized by the American Nursing Credentialing Center with either a Magnet® or Pathway to Excellence® designation for nursing excellence.

Baptist Health's employed provider network, Baptist Health Medical Group, has nearly 1,500 providers, including more than 750 physicians and more than 740 advanced practice clinicians. Baptist Health's physician network also includes more than 2,000 independent physicians. 

Learn more at BaptistHealth.com.

About Encompass Health
As a national leader in integrated healthcare services, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) offers both facility–based and home–based patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health agencies and hospice agencies. With a national footprint that includes 144 hospitals, 249 home health locations, and 95 hospice locations in 42 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides high–quality, cost-effective integrated healthcare. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts, such as those relating to the likelihood, timing and effects of the completion of this joint venture project, are forward-looking statements. In addition, Encompass Health may from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning the matters described herein. All such estimates, projections, and forward-looking information speak only as of the date hereof, and Encompass Health undertakes no duty to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Encompass Health's actual results or events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, the regulatory review and approval process, any adverse outcome of various lawsuits, claims, and legal or regulatory proceedings that may be brought by or against Encompass Health or its partner; the possibility this project will experience unexpected delays; the ability to successfully complete and integrate this project consistent with Encompass Health's growth strategy, including realization of anticipated revenues, cost savings, and productivity improvements arising from the related operations and avoidance of unforeseen exposure to liabilities; the continued spread of COVID-19, including the speed, depth, geographic reach and duration of the spread; the actions to be taken by Encompass Health or its partner in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; changes in the regulation of the healthcare industry at either or both of the federal and state levels; competitive pressures in the healthcare industry and Encompass Health's response thereto; the hospital's ability to maintain proper local, state and federal licensing; potential disruptions, breaches, or other incidents affecting the proper operation, availability, or security of Encompass Health's or its partner's information systems; Encompass Health's ability to attract and retain nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals in a highly competitive environment with often severe staffing shortages and the impact on Encompass Health's labor expenses from potential union activity and staffing shortages; changes, delays in (including in connection with resolution of Medicare payment reviews or appeals), or suspension of reimbursement for Encompass Health's services by governmental or private payors; general conditions in the economy and capital markets; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in Encompass Health's SEC filings and other public announcements, including Encompass Health's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020and Forms 10-Q for the quarters ended Mar. 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021.

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SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.