Helping patients recovering from a serious illness or injury prevent rehospitalization

When you have a serious illness or injury that requires immediate attention, it’s likely that you’ll be admitted to a hospital. A hospital can help address, diagnose and treat your symptoms so that you can start along the recovery journey. But after you’re discharged from the hospital, it’s important that you continue treatment with the right supportive care. That may include an outpatient medical rehabilitation center.

We’ll talk about how outpatient medical rehab treatment can help reduce the risk of rehospitalization. Then we’ll talk about how Ability KC’s rehabilitation can help.

How outpatient medical rehab treatment helps to reduce the risk of rehospitalization 

Across the U.S., the average hospital readmission rate is approximately 14.6%, though it can be up to 22.3% in some states. Rehospitalization for severe illness and injuries can occur for many reasons — anything from errors during the first visit to infection. 

Outpatient medical rehabilitation for injuries and serious illnesses is more than an effective course of treatment. It’s also a preventive measure for reducing the risk of being readmitted to a hospital.

Here are a few ways that outpatient medical rehabilitation can prevent rehospitalization:

  • Medication management — If you were admitted to the hospital for a serious illness or injury, it’s likely that you were released with at least one prescription. For example, most injuries and illnesses require pain medication. Taking the medications as prescribed is an essential aspect of hospital aftercare. If a patient doesn’t take the medication as prescribed, or it’s not adjusted as needed, it could cause further issues, which could include rehospitalization. Medication management is a pillar of treatment plans for many medical rehabilitation centers.
  • Improving affected aspects of physical health — If you had a serious injury that impacted any part of your body, then it likely affected your physical abilities. You may need to restore the lost strength, flexibility, range of motion and function in that area. A serious illness may affect your ability to carry out regular exercise. Lack of exercise can lead to muscle weakness and joint pain. An outpatient medical rehabilitation center can reduce the chance of rehospitalization by improving the quality of the affected area, which can reduce the risk of further injuries.
  • Education — Learning as much as possible about your injury or illness can help you avoid rehospitalization. You can learn what lifestyle adjustments need to be made to move you along your recovery journey and reduce the risk of recurring issues. For example, if you have a serious illness that stems from a poor diet, rehabilitation can help you learn about nutrition.
  • Treating co-occurring conditions — It’s possible for people with a serious illness or injury to be readmitted to a hospital due to the impact of a co-occurring condition or concern. For example, a person with a traumatic brain injury may also have osteoarthritis. It can affect their treatment due to decreased physical capabilities. An outpatient medical rehabilitation center will take every aspect of a person’s medical history into consideration to determine the most effective treatment possible.
  • Continuum of care — When a medical rehabilitation center has a continuum of care, it means that they are able to treat patients at different stages of their life. It enables them to adjust a patient’s treatment based on their evolving needs and goals. A continuum of care plays a large role in preventing rehospitalization because it helps to provide continuous and sustainable improvement for a patient over an extended period of time. 

Ability KC’s outpatient medical rehabilitation center can help patients prevent rehospitalization

It can be frustrating for a patient to be readmitted to the hospital. It can make them think that they’re only getting worse, putting them in a negative mindset and making it difficult to move along the recovery process. That’s why an outpatient medical rehabilitation center like Ability KC can be so effective. With benefits like patient education and a continuum of care, we can keep the momentum going to improve as much as possible.

Ability KC is a designated Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF). We also have a Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accreditation. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.