Ensuring Access to Physical Rehabilitation Care

January 7, 2016

Looking ahead to 2016 and beyond

As we prepare to open the door on a new year, I know I speak for everyone at Helen Hayes Hospital in saying we stand ready to care for each and every patient who turns to us for treatment. We all know how suddenly lives can change – a motor vehicle accident, a disabling fall, a devastating stroke – all of a sudden, we need to relearn basic skills and regain abilities, while families, friends and caregivers struggle to provide support and pick up the pieces.

In these situations, a specialty physical rehabilitation hospital, like ours, offers the best hope for a full recovery. Early, intensive interventions, provided by skilled physicians, nurses and therapists, can make the difference in how quickly and successfully one can return home, to school or work, and to everyday activities. In fact, rehabilitation hospitals play a key role in reducing costly hospital readmissions for individuals with a range of disabling conditions.

The American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) recently commissioned a study examining the clinical outcomes of patients treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities. Over a two-year period, the study found that these patients returned home earlier, remained home longer, had fewer emergency room visits and significantly fewer hospital readmissions per year, and stayed alive longer.

I think you will agree that those are pretty significant findings, although I can’t say that any of us in the rehabilitation industry were surprised. Inpatient medical rehab is a very unique service – and one that is intensive, coordinated and individualized to each patient’s unique needs. Our comprehensive treatment plans address the full range of medical, physical, cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional issues faced by individuals who have sustained brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations, strokes and other conditions. We harness a team approach to care to optimize the patients’ abilities, meet their rehab goals and maximize their independence.

None of us can know what 2016 holds in store. We do know that it is vital to preserve access to inpatient specialty physical rehabilitation hospitals so that future patients can benefit from our specialized, intensive care. Ultimately, our care helps people lead an improved quality of life, while simultaneously saving valuable healthcare dollars.

We hope your 2016 will be a happy and healthy one, and that you will not be in need of our care, but be assured that if you or someone you know requires physical rehabilitation, we stand ready to offer the same extraordinary treatment we’ve been providing for 115 years.

-Edmund J. Coletti
Chief Executive Officer