Rehab Criteria
Recently I was told if there is no denial of claims and patients are making progress, the physical therapy department is a success. This got me to thinking about success in a rehab department. What exactly is the criterion for success in rehab?
Good communication between disciplines should be part of that success and, of course, trust between professionals concerning the progression of patient goals has to be part of that as well.
I don't think we can say only one or two things make a department a success. The success is usually multifactorial and involves all of rehab, nursing and administration to ensure our success.
If nursing is not able to pass pain meds then we have a more difficult time treating patients who are in pain. If administration decides there are too many employees, the patients needs are not attended to quickly, as we in rehab may have to wait longer to effectively treat our patients. And if we don't communicate with MDS often enough, we don't generate income that pays the bills for the facility.
The criteria for success should be measured by all disciplines participating in patient care effectively to ensure the success of everyone else.