National Rehabilitation Hospital
Encyclopedia
The National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) is located in Washington, D.C., and specializes in treating persons with physical disabilities, including spinal cord injury
, brain injury
, stroke
, arthritis
, amputation
, multiple sclerosis
, post-polio syndrome
, orthopedic, and other neurological conditions.
The National Rehabilitation Hospital, also known as NRH, was founded in 1986, and is a member of the MedStar Health
system, the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore region’s largest non-profit healthcare organization.
NRH has grown from a single hospital into the NRH Medical Rehabilitation Network, which provides inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment programs. The network provides more than 350,000 ambulatory visits annually in addition to the hospital’s more than 2,200 inpatient admissions. Since its inception, NRH has admitted in excess of 35,000 inpatients and provided over 2 million outpatient visits.
. For sixteen consecutive years, NRH has been consistently listed in the annual ranking as one of the nation’s best hospitals for physical rehabilitation. In 2007, NRH made a move from 10th to 9th place and achieved a high reputation score of 10.9.
NRH is fully accredited by both the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations JCAHO, and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities CARF, earning an impressive fourteen CARF commendations in the 2007 accreditation survey. CARF is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes quality rehabilitation services. Their standards are reviewed annually and new ones are developed to keep pace with changing conditions and current consumer needs. NRH has received a three-year accreditation from CARF, and its Spinal Cord Injury
, Stroke
and Brain Injury programs are the regions only CARF accredited specialty programs.
NRH provides highly specialized acute inpatient rehabilitative care at its Washington, D.C., location on a campus adjacent to its MedStar Health
sister hospital, the Washington Hospital Center
.
NRH works in partnership not only with the Washington Hospital Center, but also with a number of other leading acute care facilities throughout the region. Acute rehab begins at onset of injury and illness, and continues after hospitalization through NRH Regional Rehab – 33 outpatient sites located throughout the Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland region.
(See http://www.nrhrehab.org/Locations/default.aspx for a list of outpatient locations.)
In addition, for those needing more intense therapy following hospitalization, NRH offers unique Day Treatment programs for stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, which provide continued comprehensive care to maximize potential for recovery.
Program is designated as one of only 14 Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems in the country, by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a part of the U.S. Department of Education. Through this highly competitive five-year grant, NRH established the National Capital Spinal Cord Injury Model System (NCSCIMS) — a multifaceted program incorporating acute and rehabilitative clinical care, and research and training components. The program is stimulating the development of dramatic therapeutic improvements and their rapid translation into clinical practice.In addition, NRH’s Spinal Cord Program is the area’s only CARF Accredited Specialty Program for Spinal Cord Injury and Disease.
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Promoting Health and Preventing Complications through Exercise is also funded by the NIDRR. The $4 million, 5-year grant allows NRH to further extend its research and training efforts on secondary conditions in people with SCI. The RRTC is a unique collaborative effort of national leaders in SCI-related research, clinical expertise, support and education organizations, independent living centers, and consumers with SCI.
The NRH Stroke
Recovery Program is among the largest programs in the country and offers one of the most advanced programs of its kind in the region. NRH patients benefit from the exceptional skills and resources of the area’s only CARF Accredited Specialty Program for Strokes.
The NRH Brain Injury
Program takes an innovative, comprehensive approach to care using repetition to expand on small incremental gains in recovery—to achieve the best possible outcome. This focused and proven method of care attracts a variety of patients including politicians and military service members from across the U.S.
The orthopedic programs at NRH utilize the most technologically advanced diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to address such issues as arthritis, amputation, joint replacement, and a full range of other orthopedic injuries and conditions. Throughout patients’ rehabilitative experience, NRH relies upon a number of innovative assistive technology
devices that have been developed by NRH’s research team, and which have been quickly moved from laboratory to bedside for optimal recovery.
The National Center for Children’s Rehabilitation (NCCR) at NRH addresses an unmet regional need and raises the bar for care of pediatric patients with neurological, orthopedic injuries, and other illnesses. The only center of its kind in the area, the NCCR is a joint service of NRH and Children's National Medical Center
and offers an innovative approach to children's rehab in a state-of-the-art and secure unit.
There are four unique centers conducting both laboratory and clinical research: the Assistive Technology Research Center, the Center for Post-Acute Studies, the Neuroscience Research Center, and the Center for Applied Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Research. Dozens of studies are underway in the development of improved rehabilitative diagnosis and treatment methods, and technology aimed at improving long-term independence for persons with a variety of disabling conditions. Among these are a unique study to evaluate the value of activity-based rehab and FES, functional electrical stimulation
, for spinal cord injury patients, a project to test the value of patient navigation to improve long-term outcomes for stroke and spinal cord patients, and a program to reduce secondary incidents among the capital region’s stroke patients.
Spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence...
, brain injury
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
, stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
, amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
, multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, post-polio syndrome
Post-polio syndrome
Post-polio syndrome is a condition that affects approximately 25–50% of people who have previously contracted poliomyelitis—a viral infection of the nervous system—after the initial infection. Typically the symptoms appear 15–30 years after recovery from the original paralytic attack, at an age of...
, orthopedic, and other neurological conditions.
The National Rehabilitation Hospital, also known as NRH, was founded in 1986, and is a member of the MedStar Health
MedStar Health
MedStar Health is a $3.9 billion not-for-profit healthcare organization. It operates more than 40 entities, including nine hospitals in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., region of the United States...
system, the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore region’s largest non-profit healthcare organization.
NRH has grown from a single hospital into the NRH Medical Rehabilitation Network, which provides inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment programs. The network provides more than 350,000 ambulatory visits annually in addition to the hospital’s more than 2,200 inpatient admissions. Since its inception, NRH has admitted in excess of 35,000 inpatients and provided over 2 million outpatient visits.
Reputation and Accreditation
Physicians nationwide consistently rank NRH among “America’s Best Hospitals,” as reported by U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
. For sixteen consecutive years, NRH has been consistently listed in the annual ranking as one of the nation’s best hospitals for physical rehabilitation. In 2007, NRH made a move from 10th to 9th place and achieved a high reputation score of 10.9.
NRH is fully accredited by both the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations JCAHO, and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities CARF, earning an impressive fourteen CARF commendations in the 2007 accreditation survey. CARF is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes quality rehabilitation services. Their standards are reviewed annually and new ones are developed to keep pace with changing conditions and current consumer needs. NRH has received a three-year accreditation from CARF, and its Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence...
, Stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and Brain Injury programs are the regions only CARF accredited specialty programs.
Types of Specialty Care: Inpatient, Outpatient, and Day Treatment
NRH’s board-certified physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and other clinicians work in teams to meet the needs of patients with a wide range of neurological, and orthopedic conditions.NRH provides highly specialized acute inpatient rehabilitative care at its Washington, D.C., location on a campus adjacent to its MedStar Health
MedStar Health
MedStar Health is a $3.9 billion not-for-profit healthcare organization. It operates more than 40 entities, including nine hospitals in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., region of the United States...
sister hospital, the Washington Hospital Center
Washington Hospital Center
Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C.. It serves as a teaching hospital for Georgetown University School of Medicine....
.
NRH works in partnership not only with the Washington Hospital Center, but also with a number of other leading acute care facilities throughout the region. Acute rehab begins at onset of injury and illness, and continues after hospitalization through NRH Regional Rehab – 33 outpatient sites located throughout the Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland region.
(See http://www.nrhrehab.org/Locations/default.aspx for a list of outpatient locations.)
In addition, for those needing more intense therapy following hospitalization, NRH offers unique Day Treatment programs for stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, which provide continued comprehensive care to maximize potential for recovery.
Special Programs
The NRH Spinal CordSpinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...
Program is designated as one of only 14 Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems in the country, by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a part of the U.S. Department of Education. Through this highly competitive five-year grant, NRH established the National Capital Spinal Cord Injury Model System (NCSCIMS) — a multifaceted program incorporating acute and rehabilitative clinical care, and research and training components. The program is stimulating the development of dramatic therapeutic improvements and their rapid translation into clinical practice.In addition, NRH’s Spinal Cord Program is the area’s only CARF Accredited Specialty Program for Spinal Cord Injury and Disease.
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Promoting Health and Preventing Complications through Exercise is also funded by the NIDRR. The $4 million, 5-year grant allows NRH to further extend its research and training efforts on secondary conditions in people with SCI. The RRTC is a unique collaborative effort of national leaders in SCI-related research, clinical expertise, support and education organizations, independent living centers, and consumers with SCI.
The NRH Stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
Recovery Program is among the largest programs in the country and offers one of the most advanced programs of its kind in the region. NRH patients benefit from the exceptional skills and resources of the area’s only CARF Accredited Specialty Program for Strokes.
The NRH Brain Injury
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
Program takes an innovative, comprehensive approach to care using repetition to expand on small incremental gains in recovery—to achieve the best possible outcome. This focused and proven method of care attracts a variety of patients including politicians and military service members from across the U.S.
The orthopedic programs at NRH utilize the most technologically advanced diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to address such issues as arthritis, amputation, joint replacement, and a full range of other orthopedic injuries and conditions. Throughout patients’ rehabilitative experience, NRH relies upon a number of innovative assistive technology
Assistive technology
Assistive technology or adaptive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them...
devices that have been developed by NRH’s research team, and which have been quickly moved from laboratory to bedside for optimal recovery.
The National Center for Children’s Rehabilitation (NCCR) at NRH addresses an unmet regional need and raises the bar for care of pediatric patients with neurological, orthopedic injuries, and other illnesses. The only center of its kind in the area, the NCCR is a joint service of NRH and Children's National Medical Center
Children's National Medical Center
- Introduction :Children’s National Medical Center , is the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the Washington, D.C., area and the only freestanding children’s hospital between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Atlanta...
and offers an innovative approach to children's rehab in a state-of-the-art and secure unit.
Research
The Christoph Ruesch Research Center at NRH is dedicated to implementing initiatives that probe new rehabilitative interventions to address the health and rehabilitative needs of person with disabilities, and to develop better ways to deliver and pay for these services.There are four unique centers conducting both laboratory and clinical research: the Assistive Technology Research Center, the Center for Post-Acute Studies, the Neuroscience Research Center, and the Center for Applied Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Research. Dozens of studies are underway in the development of improved rehabilitative diagnosis and treatment methods, and technology aimed at improving long-term independence for persons with a variety of disabling conditions. Among these are a unique study to evaluate the value of activity-based rehab and FES, functional electrical stimulation
Functional electrical stimulation
Functional electrical stimulation is a technique that uses electrical currents to activate nerves innervating extremities affected by paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury , head injury, stroke and other neurological disorders. FES is primarily used to restore function in people with...
, for spinal cord injury patients, a project to test the value of patient navigation to improve long-term outcomes for stroke and spinal cord patients, and a program to reduce secondary incidents among the capital region’s stroke patients.
External links
- http://www.medstarhealth.org/default.cfm
- http://www.nrhrehab.org
- http://www.ncscims.org/home/
- http://www.jointcommission.org/
- http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/index.html
- http://www.sci-health.org