Following a hospital stay for a serious illness or injury, you and your family may face a decision on where to continue your recovery—an inpatient rehabilitation facility or a skilled nursing facility. Many people don’t realize there are big differences between the two, or how those differences could affect your long-term recovery.
A two-year study by Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC, looked at patient outcomes data for the different recovery paths and found that patients treated in rehabilitation hospitals and units have better outcomes, go home earlier and live longer than those treated in skilled nursing facilities. The 2014 study also noted, “The focused, intense and standardized rehabilitation led by physicians in inpatient rehabilitation facilities is consistent with patients achieving significantly better outcomes in a shorter amount of time than patients treated in skilled nursing facilities.” The study found that:
- Similar patients treated in rehabilitation hospitals returned home 14 days sooner than those in skilled nursing facilities.
- Rehabilitation hospital patients were able to be at home longer and had fewer hospital readmissions.
Below are links to the report summary and full report PDFs for you to download and read.
