Memorial Medical Center Again Receives Rare Fivefold Accreditation for Rehabilitation Services

 

[April 17, 2019] 

Five separate rehabilitation programs at Memorial Medical Center have been accredited for another three years by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

“Our entire rehabilitation team is dedicated to the goal of helping people home after a disabling injury or illness, such as stroke or a spinal cord injury,” said Teresa Reiser, director of rehabilitation services at Memorial Medical Center and a physical therapist. “This recognition is a reflection of our staff’s unparalleled commitment.”

This is the fifth consecutive time since 2007 that Memorial Medical Center has earned three-year CARF accreditations for five separate rehabilitation programs. The hospital earned its first CARF accreditation in 1980.

The nonprofit hospital received accreditation in the following areas:

· Inpatient rehabilitation (hospital): adults, children and adolescents. Memorial is one of 29 rehab programs in Illinois to earn this accreditation.

· Inpatient rehabilitation (hospital) – stroke: adults. Memorial is one of 10 in Illinois to earn accreditation.

· Inpatient rehabilitation (hospital) – brain injury: adults, children and adolescents. Memorial is one of three programs in Illinois to earn accreditation.

· Inpatient rehabilitation (hospital) – spinal cord: adults. Memorial is one of two programs in Illinois to receive accreditation.

· Outpatient rehabilitation: adults, children and adolescents. Memorial is one of four programs in Illinois to earn accreditation.
 

Healthcare organizations undergo a rigorous peer review process and must demonstrate to a team of surveyors during an onsite visit their commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality, Reiser said. Surveyors visited Memorial in March.

Memorial Medical Center is one of only 18 rehabilitation programs in the nation and the only one in Illinois to hold these five specific program designations, Reiser said. Only 78 rehab programs worldwide hold four or more inpatient program accreditations.

“We help our patients overcome barriers so they can successfully return to productive daily activities,” Reiser said.

Patients of Memorial Rehab Services receive intensive treatment from an interdisciplinary team, which includes physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, therapeutic recreational specialists, dietitians, pharmacists, social workers and chaplains.

“Our goal is to provide the very best in rehabilitation care, and this accreditation from CARF is validation that we are succeeding,” said Dr. David Gelber, medical director for Memorial Inpatient Rehab and a neurologist and rehabilitation medicine specialist with Springfield Clinic.

Founded in 1966, CARF is an independent, nonprofit organization that accredits programs and services in behavioral health and medical rehabilitation, among other clinical programs, throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

[Michael Leathers, MHS]