Rehab Facilities - National Rankings

The US News and World Report has issued its listing of top rehabilitation hospitals.  The following rehab hospitals are in the top tier in the national rankings.  According to the survey, they have the highest reputations among the physicians polled. 

o   Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago   Chicago, IL
o   Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation  West Orange, NJ
o   University of Washington Medical Center  Seattle, WA
o   Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital   Boston, MA

Trust but Verify

This is a delicate subject.

How often have heard that the staff in a particular rehab or long-term care facility is caring and loving, and that everything is so nice and clean? Everyone smiles and hugs, and the linen and gowns are fresh. These are good signs.

It's wonderful to find a place like that, especially if it also provides genuine rehabilitation services. I've found that you need to actually check under the covers, though, before you get too carried away by good impressions.

Few family members will want to actually check on the work that's being performed. Much too often, supervisors don't thoroughly check, either. Creases in the skin can hide small problems that soon become big ones.

Geriatric Care Hospitals - Top 10

US News & World Report's Top 10 Geriatric Care Hospitals:
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston

Northwestern Memorial, Chicago

If you happen to go to Northwestern Memorial in Chicago as a visitor or with your client, I recommend asking for a tour. Many of the features are very interesting, but easy to miss.

For example, in all the patient areas, even in the corridors, the ceiling lights are placed so that a patient will never be looking directly into them. They said that the lobby and check-in area were designed to be like...