You can please all of the people all of the time - according to patient satisfaction surveys at Loyola University Health System (LUHS) outpatient rehabilitation sites. In four years of surveys, including thousands of patients, 100 percent of rehabilitation patients at LUHS' Oakbrook Terrace Medical Center have stated they definitely would recommend the service to family or friends. Debra Howe Popovich, manager of outpatient rehabilitation services, believes the high patient satisfaction is due to convenient hours and locations, staff that is very attentive to their patients' needs and great collaboration between patients and their physicians and therapists.
"In rehab, you have to work together to establish goals, develop a treatment plan and coordinate the schedule to make it convenient for the patient," Howe Popovich said.
Rehabilitation at LUHS spans the continuum from a 24-bed inpatient unit to outpatient rehabilitation in five suburban locations to home care services throughout the Chicago area. Physician specialists in rehabilitation, known as physiatrists, oversee care in all settings. Late next year, outpatient rehabilitation will be available at a new site in Homer Glen.
LUHS' outpatient rehabilitation programs in Maywood, Oakbrook Terrace and Hickory Hills provide the full range of services - physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology - to all ages from infants to senior citizens. Sites in Darien and Wheaton offer speech language pathology services.
Rehabilitation is essential to the healing process for people coping with a wide range of illnesses, injuries and disabilities, such as a sports injury, a stroke or a burn. In some situations, specialized rehabilitative care can help people avoid surgery or other more invasive treatments. For example, rehabilitation is an integral part of Loyola's Women's Pelvic Medicine Center, which treats women for problems such as pelvic pain and incontinence.
Loyola also is known for other specialized areas of rehabilitation: Certified hand therapists collaborate with LUHS' renowned hand surgery program to help people recover from carpel tunnel syndrome, hand injuries and amputation.
In collaboration with LUHS' regional Burn Center, therapists help patients with severe and extensive burns regain mobility and build strength and endurance.
Children with developmental delays and disabilities, and speech and language needs can benefit from a family-focused pediatric rehabilitation program designed to facilitate their growth and development.
A work-conditioning program helps people who have been sick or injured get back to their jobs by developing a tailored program that takes into account the specific job requirements. LUHS' specialists also can perform job site visits.
Complete decongestive therapy helps reduce swelling in the limbs in people who have had procedures such as removal of lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery or prostate surgery, for example.
At LUHS, physiatrist, therapist, surgeon, other physicians, patient and family members work together to design an individualized treatment plan for the patient. This type of teamwork, the high quality and the depth and breadth of services are what set LUHS apart from many other rehabilitation providers.
For several years, LUHS' rehabilitation services have been affiliated with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. That partnership will be dissolved in July due to regulatory changes, but LUHS will continue to provide rehabilitative care.
To schedule an appointment at any Loyola location, call (708) 216-8563.
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