LICENSING:
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METHODOLOGY
The 5th edition of America's Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers ranking awards the leading 300 inpatient physical rehabilitation facilities in the U.S. The physical rehabilitation centers were identified according to the definition of Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) by CMS. IRFs are free standing rehabilitation hospitals and rehabilitation units in acute care hospitals. Centers which offer outpatient physical rehabilitation services only were excluded.
The 25 states with the most facilities according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) were ranked individually:
AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI.
The facilities from the remaining states were grouped into 4 regions: Northeast, Midwest, West and South.
THE RANKING IS BASED ON FOUR PILLARS:
1. Quality metrics data for IRFs published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
2. National online survey: From April to May 2024, Statista in cooperation with Newsweek conducted an online survey among experts with knowledge of physical rehabilitation centers (physicians, physiotherapists, doctors, clinic managers and other health care professionals).
Participants were asked to recommend the Top 10 physical rehabilitation centers from their respective state. Recommendations for their own employers were not allowed.
For each recommended physical rehabilitation facility, participants also were asked to assess the quality of care, quality of service quality of follow-up care, accommodation and amenities.
Participants were also able to specify a standout program (amputation, brain injury, cancer rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, stroke) for the recommended physical rehabilitation center.
3. Accreditation data on physical rehabilitation centers provided by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC)
4. Google reviews as a proxy for patient satisfaction
SCORING MODEL:
A total score was calculated for each physical rehabilitation center. The total score was composed of:
● Quality metrics score (50% of the total score)
● Reputation score (35% of the total score)
● Accreditation score (each program 5% of the total score)
● Google reviews (5% of the total score)
QUALITY METRICS SCORE:
50% of the overall score comes from the quality metrics score calculated for each facility.
Quality metrics data is published by CMS. These quality metrics are risk-standardized quality measures, allowing for a comparison of facilities regarding quality of treatment and medical conditions, even if the patient groups are varying. For each of the sixteen quality metrics reported by CMS, a sub-score was calculated.
The facility which achieved the best result in one individual measure (e.g., lowest infection rate or highest influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare personnel) received 100% for the respective sub-score.
The weighted sub-scores were used to calculate the total quality metrics score.
REPUTATION SCORE:
The reputation score is 35% of the total score. 80% of the reputation score is based on expert recommendations in the survey. The order of the recommendations is important for the weighting of the recommendations. Additionally, the professional experience of the participant was taken into account. A score was assigned to each facility based on the number of weighted recommendations.
A quality score based on the expert assessments in the survey constitute 20% of the reputation score. For each recommended physical rehabilitation facility, participants were asked to assess the quality of:
● Care (e.g., treatments/ therapies, consultation with doctor/ therapist)
● Service (e.g., meals, leisure activities)
● Follow-up care (e.g., outpatient therapies)
● Accommodation & amenities (e.g., size of room, quality of furnishing)
ACCREDITATIONS SCORE:
CARF International is a nonprofit organization assigning voluntary accreditation for U.S. IRFs. To receive accreditation, facilities must commit to quality improvement, focus on the unique needs of each person the provider serves and monitor service outcomes.
The following specialty programs were included in the scoring model: amputation, brain injury, cancer rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and stroke. The CARF accreditation score constitutes 5% of the total score and considers the general accreditation as well as the accreditations for the specialty programs.
Model Systems are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). These specialized programs of care are available in the areas of spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain Injury (TBI) and burn injury. The aim is to provide high quality research and patient care to improve the health and overall quality of life of people with TBI, SCI and burn injuries. Facilities are eligible for the Model systems score of 5% if they have one or more model system designations awarded by NIDILRR.
GOOGLE REVIEWS:
Google reviews were included as a new pillar in the scoring as a proxy for patient satisfaction. It constitutes 5% to the total score.
Disclaimer
The rankings are comprised exclusively of physical rehabilitation centers that are eligible regarding the scope described in this document. A mention in the ranking is a positive recognition based on peer recommendations and accreditations. The ranking is the result of an elaborate process which, due to the interval of data-collection and analysis, reflects the last 12 months only. Furthermore, any events preceding or following the period June 19, 2023 – July 5, 2024, and/or pertaining to individual persons affiliated/associated to the facilities were not included in the metrics. As such, the results of this ranking should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations.
The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about physical rehabilitation centers or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a facility. The quality of physical rehabilitation centers that are not included in the rankings is not disputed.
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