All Rehabilitation is NOT EQUAL...

I've been tip-toeing around this topic, but I realized that I should just come out and say what I think. All Rehabilitation is NOT EQUAL!. There, I said it. In fact, there are worlds of difference between facilities. The reason that I'm concentrating on this is that Sophie's 'progress' may not reflect her abilities or inabilities, but may be affected by the system that is qualifying her and its limitations.

Having worked in several rehab facilities years ago, it became clear to me that a person's recovery was dependent on the rehab's capacity to deliver the best quality of care. There were then, and still are I am sure, such a wide range of quality-- from those facilities which basically just 'did a job' and settled for minimal progress, to those that were dedicated to delivering the most up-to-date treatment possible. Even if the facility was run by people who were very caring, if the administration's focus was not forward-looking or if the general attitude of the staff was not enthusiastic and devoted to advancing the care they provided, then their quality of care reflected that.

Rehabilitation medicine used to be the dinosaur of the medical areas. But that has really changed. Today, so many advances are being made that it has become one of the most dynamic areas of medicine. For this reason, I encourage you to NOT necessarily take your doctor's conclusions as gospel.

Although the information below is six years old, it reflects the truth of what I'm saying. These are ranked hospitals in this specialty, named by at least 3 percent of board-certified physicians responding to U.S.News surveys in 2001, 2002, and 2003. (A link to the latest US News ranking is just below)

Rank Hospital Reputational score

1 Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago 72.2
2 TIRR- Inst for Rehab & Research, Houston 42.3
3 University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle 37.7
4 Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. 30.7
5 Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colo. 26.7
6 Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, N.J. 26.1
7 Rusk Institute, NYU Medical Center, New York 15.1
8 Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia 15.0
9 Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston 14.7
10 Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus 14.2
11 Rancho Los Amigos National Rehab Center, Downey, CA. 13.5
12 Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore 12.7
13 National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, D.C. 11.2
14 University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 9.5
15 Moss Rehab Hospital, Albert Einstein Med Ctr, Philadelphia 8.1
16 Shepherd Center, Atlanta 6.6
17 Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York 5.3
18 Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, Calif. 4.4
19 Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia 4.0
20 UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles 3.8
21 New York-Presbyterian Hospital 3.8
22 Cleveland Clinic 3.7
23 University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham 3.3


In 13 of the 17 specialties, ranked hospitals initially had to meet any of three entry standards: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, affiliation with a medical school, or availability of at least nine of 17 specified items of medical technology: magnetic resonance imaging, for example. Those criteria screened out all but 2,072 of the 6,003 hospitals.

Note the difference in the percentage points between the #1 ranked hospital, RIC, and the others!

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
345 East Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Web site

U.S. News Ranking: 1 in Rehabilitation This is the latest US News rankings. The #'s are little different, but the line-up is essentially the same.

Stroke Services at Rehabililtation Institute of Chicago

The effects of a stroke on mobility, memory and communication can vary greatly from one person to another and the pace and progress of rehabilitation can vary too. What’s important to know is that the rehabilitation care provider you choose has the depth of experience and breadth of services to help you achieve the best life possible. At the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), we do.

A National Leader in Stroke Rehabilitation

• The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has been ranked the “Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America” by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991.
• RIC helps more people with stroke than almost any other hospital in the country. Hundreds of stroke patients come to RIC each year, including people from across the country and around the world, for expert physical medicine and rehabilitation, and nearly half of them are younger than 55 years of age.
• New developments in stroke rehabilitation discovered in RIC laboratories are brought immediately to our patients, placing them at the forefront of scientific advancement through participation in the newest therapies and clinical trials.
• RIC is the only federally-designated Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Stroke by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
• RIC is the first rehabilitation hospital to be recognized with Magnet status, the prestigious award given to fewer than 3% of the nation’s hospitals for the very best nursing care.
• 95% of Prime of Life Stroke patients and their families would recommend RIC to family and friends.
• 99% of Prime of Life Stroke patients and their families rated their care as “excellent” or “good.”

For an appointment or information please call: 1-800-354-REHAB (7342), find a location or request an appointment .

You can Google any of the other hospitals listed above, to get a comparison, as well. I encourage you to do this, and, if you would like, I can help you with it.

Best,

Stephanie