CHICAGO, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) has been ranked the "Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America" by U.S. News & World Report for the 14th consecutive year. No other hospital in any specialty has been consistently ranked #1. The rankings were released today and will be published in the July 12th issue of U.S. News & World Report.
RIC is the nation's first freestanding rehabilitation hospital, founded in 1954 to help war veterans with disabling injuries return to productive, independent and fulfilling lives. For 50 years, RIC's dedication to helping people with disabilities achieve the best life possible has made it a trusted organization that attracts patients and healthcare professionals from around the world. While best known for treating the most complex cases such as brain injury, spinal cord injury and stroke, RIC brings the same level of expertise to helping those with more common conditions including arthritis, chronic pain and sports injuries.
RIC physicians and scientists have been at the forefront of physical medicine and rehabilitation, boldly combining groundbreaking research with state-of-the-art patient care to transform this growing field of medicine and transform the lives of their patients. The use of a robot to help people with paralysis learn to walk again and the development of the world's first truly bionic arm are just two examples of RIC's recent scientific breakthroughs, while on a broader scale, RIC is the only federally-designated Stroke Rehabilitation & Research Center in the country.
"We are very proud to be ranked the best [rehabilitation hospital] in the nation for the 14th straight year," said Wayne M. Lerner, DPH, president and CEO of RIC. "The consistency of our #1 ranking is a testament to the quality and breadth of the services we provide."
In addition to providing inpatient, day rehabilitation, and outpatient care to people of all ages, RIC uses innovative technology and offers programs and services through its advocacy and community outreach efforts to improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities.
"We have some of the finest rehabilitation experts in the world," said Dr. Elliot Roth, senior vice president and medical director of RIC and the Paul B. Magnuson chairman of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Because of RIC's commitment to providing expert comprehensive medical rehabilitation programs, we've had a significant impact on the lives of people with disabilities, helping them get back to work and life. As a result, we've been able to extend our reach beyond the Chicago-area to the rest of the nation, and indeed, all over the world."
To be considered for the rankings in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" issue, institutions must either be a member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, be affiliated with a medical school, or offer at least nine of the 17 specialties surveyed. The rehabilitation rankings are determined by a survey of board-certified physiatrists in each category, who are asked to identify those hospitals that are the leaders in their specialty without regard to location or cost.
The Institute has more than 20 sites of care throughout the Chicago-area and in southern Illinois. RIC is the home of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and operates one of the largest and most sought after physiatry residency programs in the United States.
For more information about RIC, b-roll, photographs, and physician interviews, please contact Anne Charles-Unger at 312-238-6019 or visit the Web site at http://www.ric.org/ .
For 50 years Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has been dedicated to helping people with all levels and types of physical disabilities regain or improve their physical functions and empowers them to participate more fully in family, social, vocational, and leisure time pursuits.
Rehabilitation Institute of ChicagoCONTACT: Anne Charles-Unger, +1-312-238-6019, or Molly Hart,+1-312-238-6046, both of Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Web site: http://www.ric.org/
