The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) shines again this year, with the recent recognition by U.S. News & World Report as the national leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation. It is the 28th year that this hospital has been #1 on the list.
U.S. News Names Shirley Ryan Ability Lab: #1 in Rehab…Again!
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“Inspired by our patients, we have led the evolution of physical medicine and rehabilitation for more than a quarter century, pursuing innovation and breakthroughs with relentless determination,” said Joanne C. Smith, M.D., president and CEO of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. “Now, with the recent opening of our state-of-the-art facility, we are poised to set new global standards that will change the process for scientific discovery and the way healthcare is delivered with the goal of better recoveries—and even cures—for our patients. It’s a great honor to be recognized by physicians and U.S. News & World Report yet again.”
According to the organization, “The ranking comes on the heels of the March opening of the $550 million, 1.2-million-square-foot Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The facility is the first-ever ‘translational’ research hospital in which clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together in the same space, 24/7, surrounding patients, discovering new approaches and applying (or ‘translating’) research real time. Applied research focuses particularly in the areas of neuroscience, bionic medicine, musculoskeletal medicine and technology transfer.”
Dr. Smith commented to OTW, “The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s ‘no boundaries’ approach structurally compels collaboration between disciplines; minds meet by choice, not chance. Engineers and research scientists are embedded in the same space with doctors, therapists, nurses and patients. They work together with patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to solve real-world problems in practical ways.”
“In the short time that we’ve occupied our new hospital, the immersion of researchers and clinicians with patients has already had a significant positive impact on both research and care teams. This co-presence, where each team can better understand the needs and capabilities of others, has led to novel research pursuits, grants that leverage a collaborative approach, and new channels for information-sharing, brainstorming and collaboration.”
“The central goal of our translational approach is to develop new research and insights to help patients gain more function, achieve better outcomes and enjoy greater ability and independence. I know that this mission is shared by the orthopedic surgery community and hope that physicians will continue to consider us a partner and resource.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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