Rehab Select Blog

Has your health care team suggested rehabilitative therapy to help you get back in shape after serious medical challenges or surgery? If so, you have probably already discovered that there are two basic options for getting the therapy you need; enrolling in an inpatient short term rehab program or making use of outpatient rehabilitative services. So which would be best for you? That depends on your individual circumstances, and here are some situations when it may be wise to choose short term rehab over outpatient therapy.

Managing your recovery after a serious medical incident—stroke, heart attack, surgery or injury from a fall or auto accident, for example—can be a complicated and confusing endeavor. Among the many choices you will be asked to make as you begin to recover is what comes next for you when it is time to be discharged from the hospital. In most cases, the next step will be rehabilitation therapy, and your basic options for pursuing that care will include both outpatient and inpatient short term rehab programs. 

Person-centered care, also commonly referred to as patient-centered or individualized care, is quickly becoming the standard of care throughout our healthcare system, and short term rehab is no exception to that rule. In fact, inpatient short term rehab services providers have been, in many cases, on the cutting edge of this trend since the primary focus of these programs—to aid patients in achieving their own, individual, best level of health, well-being, ability and independence in their daily lives—clearly lends itself to a person-centered approach and atmosphere.

If you have been told that you need rehabilitative therapy to aid in recovering from a medical incident, illness or surgery, or as a means of improving or managing functional deficits or disabilities, chances are you'll have questions about what to expect from this form of treatment. Here, we'll look into that question in regards to outpatient short term rehabilitation programs, giving you an idea of what to expect if you choose outpatient services to meet your rehabilitative needs.

Has your healthcare team suggested that a stay in a short term rehab facility would be the best next step in your care after hospital discharge? If so, you likely have questions about the financial aspects of getting the care you need, and those questions are best dealt with before your admission to prevent unpleasant surprises later. Here, we'll outline what you need to know in terms of insurance considerations for short term rehab.

If you will be transitioning to a short term rehab program after a hospital stay, you are certain to have questions about just what to expect with that change. Among the most frequent concerns for patients making this transition are  how long their rehab stay will be and what will be expected of them as they enter this new and unfamiliar care environment. While specific answers to these questions can only be given on a case-by-case basis, there are some general guidelines that can help give you an idea of what to expect.

Orthopedic rehabilitation is designed for people who are living with disabling limitations—either temporary or permanent—due to orthopedic surgeries, musculoskeletal injuries, bone fracture or trauma, or degenerative joint diseases. Its purpose is to aid these people in regaining function and mobility lost to these medical issues. If such a program has been recommended for you, here are some of the ways it can work to help you feel and function better, getting you back into shape and back to your life.

A good short term rehab program can be of great benefit to patients who have suffered osteoporosis-related injuries. Fractures are the most frequent injuries related to this extremely common disease, and often, they are the first inkling people have that they have been affected by osteoporosis. Fractures related to this bone-thinning disease occur most commonly in the wrist, spine or hip, and recovery can be challenging. Often, recovery is complicated by concerns about further injury, especially in newly diagnosed patients who may be fearful about their condition and patients with advanced bone loss. Rehabilitation therapy can help these patients overcome both the physical and emotional challenges of recovery.

Short term rehab programs can be of great benefit to patients who are recovering from a medical incident, such as injury, surgery, stroke or heart attack, aiding them in recovering strength, function, mobility and independence. These programs can also be of great assistance to people who are suffering with chronic health conditions, such as arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease, among others, helping them learn to manage these conditions more efficiently and reduce their impact on day-to-day quality of life. If such a program has been recommended for you, here are 2 very important factors in short term rehab success—information that can help you choose the right program to make the most of your rehab experience.

Given today's faster discharge times from acute care hospitals, short term inpatient rehab is often recommended for patients who have had surgery, particularly those who have had joint replacement surgeries, other orthopedic procedures, or cardiac surgery. That's because inpatient rehabilitation therapy can help these patients get back in shape more quickly after surgery than an outpatient routine can.