Multidisciplinary Brain Injury Clinic

For an individual with a severe brain injury living in the community, multiple hospital visits, while sometimes necessary to maintain or improve function, can be very taxing. That's why the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Brain Injury Medicine and Rehabilitation Program offers a comprehensive outpatient clinic that provides medical and rehabilitation assessments for individuals with severe brain injuries living in the community.

A Thorough, Multidisciplinary Assessment

This outpatient clinic provides a multidisciplinary evaluation for individuals living in the community whose injury complexity or medical condition may preclude multiple outpatient appointments. The goal of this clinic is to provide medical and therapeutic recommendations and make referrals to the appropriate level of care. Referrals are tailored to patients' individual needs and may include inpatient care, day rehabilitation, skilled nursing, outpatient care, long term acute care or home care.

The clinical team is led by a physician and includes a physical and occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, and rehabilitation nurse practitioner. A nutritionist is also available if necessary. In addition, referrals are made to other specialties such as seating and positioning, prosthetics and orthotics, the Technology Center, Pain Clinic and Women's Clinic, as appropriate.

Is My Loved One Appropriate for this Clinic?

An individual who qualifies for this clinic has acquired a brain injury and meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Requires a comprehensive assessment from a rehabilitation team and would not tolerate multiple outpatient appointments
• Has experienced functional changes and requires a comprehensive re-assessment for further recommendations
• Family or referring physician wants an assessment to consider altering the current treatment plan
• Is traveling a significant distance to get to RIC and requires all appointments to occur on the same day
• Must be 18 years of age or older (pediatric patients should contact the RIC Pediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation Program for assessment)

Making an Appointment

Have your physician write a referral for the Multidisciplinary Brain Injury Clinic. Then contact RIC at 800-354-REHAB to schedule an initial evaluation.

If your loved one is currently in a hospital or skilled care setting, ask the case manager at the facility to initiate a referral to RIC.