Admission requires patients to meet criteria developed by Medicare and private insurance payers. Who are typical patients treated in an inpatient rehab setting? Medicare defines as patients who have had:

1. CVA/Stroke
2. Spinal Cord Injury
3. Congenital Deformity
4. Amputation
5. Major multiple trauma
6. Hip fracture
7. Brain Injury
8. Neurological diseases/disorders
9. Burns
10. Active, polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and seronegative arthropathies
11. Systematic vasculidities with joint inflammation
12. Severe or advanced osteoarthritis (2 or more weight bearing joints)
13. Certain categories of hip/joint replacements:

a. Extremely obese with BMI of at least 50
b. Age 85 or older
c. Bilateral joint replacements

In addition, patients must:

1. Have medical and nursing needs that require ongoing inpatient hospitalization.
2. Be medically able to participate in at least three hours of therapy per day, five days per week.
3. Have a discharge plan to go back to a community living situation.
4. Be motivated, cooperative and willing to actively participate in rehabilitation treatment plan.

Limitations of our Rehabilitation program:

1. Care of patients requiring ventilator limited to one patient at a time.
2. No program available for coma stimulation.
3. Patients with brain injury must measure a "5" using the
4. Rancho Los Amigos Levels of Cognitive Functioning scale.
5. Patients with spinal cord injury at C3 or above would not be accepted.
6. No program is available for children under the age of 16.

Referrals and Information

Referrals for admission to Union Hospital's Medical Rehabilitation Unit are acted upon promptly with no charge for pre-screening evaluations. Referrals may be self-made or may originate from physicians, discharge planners, employers or family members. Patients are admitted from acute care hospitals, other rehabilitation facilities or from home.

Our staff also can assist with financial considerations by explaining costs and coordinating insurance benefits. We are experienced with all types of insurance coverage including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. For more information about patient referral, or to learn more about our comprehensive rehabilitation program, call (812) 238-7362.