Inpatient Care

If you or a loved one are admitted to Story County Medical Center, you will be located on the Acute Care Unit of the hospital. Story County Medical Center has a 17 bed Acute Care Unit. Patients on the Acute Care Unit are inpatients, which means they will be cared for at the hospital rather than at home. As a patient on the Acute Care Unit, you or your loved one may be one of the following five classifications of patients:

Acute Care

Acute Care is short-term medical treatment for patients having an illness or injury that exhibits a rapid onset followed by a short, severe course or care given to patients who have recently undergone surgery.

Skilled Care

Skilled Care is care given on an inpatient, 24-hour basis designed to help a patient recover from illness, injury or surgery; function more independently; and/or learn to care for his/her own health needs. Patients who have undergone surgery may be reassigned from Acute Care to Skilled Care for extended rehabilitation.

Respite Care

Respite Care is short-term or temporary care (from a few hours to a few weeks) given to a sick or disabled patient to provide relief, or respite, to the regular caregiver, usually a family member.

Observation Status

A patient may be placed in Observation by a physician while the physician determines the best level of care the patient needs. A patient may be in Observation while he/she awaits testing or the results of tests already performed.