Our Mission
The mission of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Cleveland Clinic is to help patients overcome physical, psychosocial, cognitive, and vocational impairments, disabilities, and handicaps. We use a team approach to rehabilitation to help restore as much independence as possible for you and your family.
Who We Serve
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation serves patients with impairments and disabilities in the areas of mobility, self-care, communications, swallowing and cognition; the impairments may result from accidents, illnesses or natural causes. These patients’ medical needs may range from simple to very complex, or may be chronic in nature.
Issues of endurance and safety, psychosocial, vocational and recreational needs are also addressed. Our rehabilitation team includes the patient and family members working together to restore the patient his or her community.
Why You Should Choose the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
- Our multidisciplinary team of rehabilitation professionals helps each person regain as much physical mobility and independence as possible.
- The rehabilitation admission coordinator is available to receive referrals and facilitate communication to the referring physician in order to obtain the appropriate level of care.
- The average stay with Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation has been consistently shorter than the national average while at the same time successfully improving the level of function.
- Patients with multiple medical problems are effectively treated in a multispecialty group environment.
An Overview of our Care Services
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation emphasizes a multidisciplinary team approach. This team, under the guidance of the department chairman, Vernon Lin, MD, PhD, coordinates its efforts to effectively manage any special needs of the patient.
Patients with multiple medical problems also benefit from having access to all Cleveland Clinic’s nearly 1,000 physicians in 100 medical specialties and subspecialties in one location.
While working with Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, patients might experience the services for any number of our other specialty services, such as Driver Rehabilitation Services, the Hand and Upper Extremities Center, the Stroke Center, or Cardiology to name a few.
Our full range of services includes inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing care, outpatient care and home care services. This broad spectrum enables us to address the needs of the individual during each phase of the rehabilitation process, as well as when transitioning from one phase to the next. This continuum allows us to effectively coordinate inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation to help people maintain the gains they have achieved as inpatients.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Team
The rehabilitation team includes patients, their families and friends as well as highly trained medical professions who are committed to providing world class service and exceptional care.
- Physiatrists (physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation) are responsible for the patient's overall medical care, and for the coordination of therapies and services provided by the rehabilitation team.
- Physical Therapists assess, evaluate and treat patients' physical abilities. They develop treatment programs to help patients maximize their mobility and minimize pain through exercise and training.
- Occupational Therapists assist patients in developing the skills necessary for activities of daily living such as getting dressed, taking a shower, or eating. They evaluate patients' ability and develop treatment programs to help patients achieve a maximum level of independence.
- Rehabilitation Nurses work with other team members to help patients achieve the very best outcomes in terms of health, independence and function.
- Orthotists asses the needs of patients who require support for their spine, an arm or leg. Often, an orthosis (brace) is custom fabricated at Cleveland Clinic to specifically meet the needs of the patient.
- Prosthetists design prostheses (artificial limbs) for patients who have undergone an amputation or present with a congenital anomaly. The prosthesis is custom designed for each patient to fulfill individualized needs.
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors evaluate patients with disabilities and make recommendations to ensure they have the resources and knowledge to live successfully, be meaningfully employed, and enjoy being productive members of the community.
