Selecting a Rehabilitation Hospital
Working with the right rehabilitation hospital can be critical to your health and well-being, but often times, knowing the right questions to ask of a given rehab hospital can be daunting at best. Rehabilitation hospitals may all have different approaches, different staff qualifications and expertise, and different areas of specialization. Where to start? Here.
Based on real-life questions that every consumer should ask, this question-and-answer checklist is meant to help you identify which rehabilitation hospital will best meet your needs. See how the leading rehabilitation hospitals answer these key questions, as we continue to expand the number of rehab hospitals included.
Families are encouraged to take notes when asking these questions as a way to both compare programs and understand what to expect of the rehabilitation facility chosen.
- How many patients who have injuries similar to the patient I know are treated per year at this facility?
- How many patients are being treated for this type of injury right now?
- Are there patients here whose ages are about the same as the patient I know?
- Is the facility a specialty center, and if so, for how long has it focused on that specialization? What specialty accreditations does the facility have?
- How many years of experience do the physicians have, on average? Staff?
- How long have the physicians practiced at the facility? Are they full-time or part-time?
- Which physicians, therapists, and other professionals will work with the patient I know?
- Who will be the patient’s primary physician, and does he/she specialize in this particular injury?
- Is air transportation available?
- Are specialty education programs available for patients and families? What are they?
- What is the family’s role? What are the policies regarding family visitation?
- Is there designated low cost housing available near your facility?
- Who will help with discharge planning before the patient comes home?
- Are long-term follow-up services provided? If so, what are they?
- Are the physicians and staff currently involved with research and training? If so, in what areas?
- What is the caseload size for the nursing, treatment, and counseling staff?
