Upscale rehab provider Ignite Medical Resorts and the University of Kansas Health System have partnered as owners of the revamped Kansas City Transitional Care Center.
Now operating as Ignite Medical Resort, In Partnership with The University of Kansas Health System, the 96-bed skilled nursing facility will complement an existing 29-bed in-patient rehab center on a different floor of the four-story building.
It is Ignite’s first acquisition and its first hospital operator, but there will likely be room for more, CEO Tim Fields told McKnight’s this week.
“We are seeking opportunities that have good locations that we can re-purpose to run our model,” he said. “Our goal is to be well positioned in suburban and urban markets that demonstrate need and to be close to large hospitals we can partner with.”
The Ignite concept started at Avanti, a hybrid facility in Illinois specializing in short term and long term care that was also repurposed. Ignite also has a medical resort location in Kansas City’s Northland, and has plans to open a second location in Illinois as well as buildings in Wisconsin and Missouri. The two new Missouri properties will be owned by LTC Properties.
The Kansas City hospital location will be the only one affiliated with the health system. Ownership was transferred Sept. 1, and Jessica Kalender-Rich, M.D., will continue to serve as medical director with the health system retaining care quality oversight.
Ignite properties feature 50-inch TVs, room service and spa appointments in addition to on-site pharmacies, labs and high-technology solutions. Residents can receive physical, occupation and speech therapy seven days a week. The company also has dedicated orthopedic, cardiac care and stroke rehab programs.
As the company grows, it is counting on existing and new partnerships with capital and equity partners — and it’s attracting them with the idea of luxury as a core component of wellness.
“Every deal we have done has been different, and we are interested in looking at new development, acquisitions and lease-hold takeovers with all of our partners,” Field said. “We are well positioned to achieve the desired outcomes with local hospitals, physician groups, and managed care payers to take higher acuity patients and care for them at a lower cost setting and to be the provider of choice by patients and families who are looking for a beautiful environment to recover.”
