The Rush Approach to Inpatient Rehabilitation

Recovering from a major injury, accident or illness can be the greatest challenge of a person's lifetime. Rush is here to help by providing exceptional care and compassionate support at every stage of your rehabilitative journey.

We like to say we're a hospital within a hospital. Your Rush doctors are only steps away from our inpatient rehab units. So our team can quickly communicate with them, and they can monitor your progress and seamlessly provide care as needed while you are completing your rehabilitation. This is something you won't find at most other Illinois rehabilitation facilities.

While you are here, you will be cared for by a team of rehabilitation experts. Your treatment is overseen by a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, or physiatrist, who specializes in physical rehabilitation and whole-body medicine. This doctor manages and oversees your care while you’re here, and will continue to follow your progress after you are discharged from our unit. Learn more about Rush's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services.

Your team may also include rehabilitation nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, therapeutic recreational specialists, dietitians, social workers and admissions coordinators. Your providers meet regularly to discuss your progress, address any issues that arise, and ensure your safety and well-being.

But at Rush, the most important team member is you. We treat every patient as if they are our family, providing customized care based on your unique physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Everything we do, every day, is focused on helping you achieve the best possible outcome and preparing you for a successful transition back home.

Rush Excellence in Inpatient Rehabilitation

• Highest level of accreditation: Rush University Medical Center and Rush Copley Medical Center are certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for acute rehabilitation. CARF certification affirms that we go above and beyond to ensure the highest quality of care for our patients.
• Rated among the best by CMS: Rush University Medical Center received the highest rating — five stars — from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Rush Copley Medical Center received four stars. Those ratings mean you can expect the best outcomes and patient experience from our inpatient rehab units. Only 7% of U.S. hospitals have earned five stars.
• Best stroke care: If you are recovering after a stroke, you want a rehab program that can help you restore as much function as possible. Rush’s comprehensive stroke care is unrivaled in Illinois. CARF has designated both Rush University Medical Center and Rush Copley Medical Center as Stroke Specialty Programs. Both medical centers have  received a Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award from the American Stroke Association, and Rush University Medical Center — the first in Chicago to receive CARF stroke specialty designation — is also certified as a comprehensive stroke center by the Joint Commission.
• Helping you get home: Rush has a proven track record of helping patients progress to where they can go directly home after their rehabilitation. More than 80% of our patients were discharged home in 2019, higher than the national average. That’s one reason why our patient satisfaction scores are in the 94^th percentile nationally.
• Providing complex care: Rush University Medical Center’s inpatient rehabilitation unit is able to accept patients who are currently undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy; require a heparin drip, chest tube or dobhoff (nasogastic) tube; or have a wound vac (vacuum-assisted closure device). Our staff has the expertise to provide care for patients with these special considerations.