Librarian's Picks: Finding a Rehabilitation Center or Provider.

'Quick picks' from librarians at the National Rehabilitation Information Center.

In the weeks and months following an injury, stroke, or diagnosis of a chronic condition, people with disabilities and their families and caregivers will find themselves searching for a facility or individual provider for rehabilitation services. These may range from acute, inpatient rehabilitation to speech therapists or driver rehabilitation.

Collected here are the resources our information specialists use to find facilities for our patrons. Use this guide to find a facility or practioner near you. 

You may also download the brochure in PDF format at the bottom of this page. Disponible en español.

FINDING REHABILITATION FACILITIES

Accrediting Bodies

Rehabilitation facilities are accredited by two main organizations. Both can help you locate accredited facilities in your area:

Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
Phone/TTY: 520/325-1044 or 888/281-6531
Fax: 520/318-1129
carf.org.
CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of human service providers in the areas of aging services, behavioral health, child and youth services, DMEPOS, employment and community services, and medical rehabilitation. Use their search page to find inpatient and outpatient medical rehabilitation centers, brain injury centers, and other facilities and providers.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
Phone: 630/792-5800
Fax: 630/792-5005
jointcommission.org.
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To search for rehabilitation providers in your area, with their JCAHO ratings, visit qualitycheck.org.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Toll Free: 800/633-4227
medicare.gov.
Medicare offers search tools to locate a physician, find suppliers of medical equipment, and compare hospitals and nursing homes in your area.

Guides to Choosing a Quality Program

NRH Field Guide to Choosing a High Quality Medical Rehabilitation Program
search.naric.com/public/choosingquality.pdf.
This guide was developed by National Rehabilitation Hospital and Boston University to help patients and their families evaluate rehabilitation facilities and choose the right program to fit their needs. It includes checklists, questions to ask, a glossary of terms, and information on insurance and Medicare/Medicaid. The guide is free to download.

Guidelines for Selecting an SCI Rehabilitation Facility (Factsheet #4)
United Spinal Association
Toll Free: 800/962-9629 (V)
Email: info@spinalcord.org
spinalcord.org
Serves as a comprehensive information source for anyone effected by spinal cord injury. Referrals and consultations are available through the national office or one of the many state chapters. Web site includes fact sheets, rehabilitation centers by state and state chapter information. NSCIA features a fact sheet on choosing a rehab facility available at spinalcord.org/resource-center/askus/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=1717.

Guide to Choosing Stroke Rehabilitation Services
National Stroke Association (NAS)
Toll free: 800/STROKES (787/6537)
www.stroke.org/stroke-resources/library/national-stroke-association%E2%80%99s-guide-choosing-stroke-rehabilitation-services

US News and World Report Top Hospitals
health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.
Each year US News and World Reports issues rankings for top US hospitals by specialty, including rehabilitation. For information on the selection and rating methodology, see health.usnews.com/health-news/best-hospitals/articles/2014/07/15/faq-how-we-ranked-the-best-hospital-2014-15?int=a01008.

Finding Rehabilitation Specialists

American Physical Therapy Association
Toll Free: 800/999-APTA (2782)
Phone: 703/684-APTA (2782) 
TTY: 703/683-6748
Fax: 703/684-7343
apta.org.
APTA is the main professional body for physical therapists in the US. Their website includes a Find a PT service. Be sure to check out their Guidelines for Choosing a PT.

American Speech, Language, Hearing Association (ASHA) ProSearch Database
Toll Free: 800/638-8255
Fax: 240/333-4705
asha.org/findpro.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 173,000 members and affiliates who are speech-language pathologists; audiologists;  speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students.

American Occupational Therapy Association
Phone: 301/652-2682
TTY: 800/377-8555
Fax: 240/333-470
aota.org.
The American Occupational Therapy Association is the national professional association established in 1917 to represent the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students of occupational therapy and to improve the quality of occupational therapy services. While they do not have a member directory that is searchable by the public, they do have a database to find a Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (myaota.aota.org/driver_search/index.aspx).

MedlinePlus Directories
MedlinePlus, produced by the National Library of Medicine, is the National Institutes of Health's web site for patients and their families and friends. This webpage provides links to directories that can help locate health professionals, services, and facilities, including: doctors, dentists, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers. Visit the directory at nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/directories.html.

Stroke Centers Directory
strokecenter.org/trials/centers.
This directory is provided as a convenient resource to catalogue U.S. medical centers that offer treatment for acute ischemic stroke. This is not intended as a referral device for patients looking for a physician, nor is this intended to provide a full listing of stroke rehabilitation facilities.

Other Rehabilitation Programs

For drug and alcohol rehabilitation, visit the Treatment Facilities Locator at findtreatment.samhsa.gov/TreatmentLocator/faces/nameSearch.jspx.

No facilities locator was found for rehabilitation of paroled offenders. The HIRE Network (hirenetwork.org/clearinghouse) lists government and community resources for parolees in every state.

General Online Information

 

Attach a File: 
PDF icon rehab.pdf