Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) Ranked the "Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America" by U.S. News & World Report for the 15th Consecutive Year
Only Specialty Hospital Ranked #1 For More Than 10 Years Running
July 8, 2005
CHICAGO - In the July 18th Best Hospitals Issue of U.S. News and World Report the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is ranked 'Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America' for the 15th consecutive year. No other hospital, in any specialty, has been ranked #1 for as long.
RIC, the nation's first freestanding rehabilitation hospital, was founded in 1954 to help war veterans with disabling injuries return to productive, independent and fulfilling lives. For more than 50 years, RIC's dedication to helping people with physical disabilities achieve the best life possible has made it a trusted organization that attracts patients and health care 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.
"When we were founded more than 50 years ago, RIC's mission was clearly stated to be the best hospital in healing and helping. Being recognized by U.S. News and World Report for 15 years running as the best rehabilitation hospital in the United States is an acknowledgement of all the hard work our doctors, therapists, researchers, and entire team put in day-in and day-out. We are very proud of this accomplishment, but know that providing the best patient care based on leading edge research is our primary objective," 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. Beyond 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."
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.
"RIC has some of the finest rehabilitation experts in the world," said Elliot Roth, MD, Donnelley 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 life. As a result, we've been able to extend our reach beyond Chicago 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 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 (specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation) 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 30 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 Katie Bernard at (312)238-6019.
About the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is dedicated to helping people with all levels and types of physical disabilities regain or improve their physical functions and empowering them to participate more fully in family, social, vocational and leisure time pursuits. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago the 'Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America' every year since 1991. To find out more about RIC visit www.ric.org.
Journalists contact: mediarelations@ric.org, 312-238-6044.
All others contact: webmaster@ric.org.