Hutchinson Regional Medical Center’s Inpatient Rehab Unit is listed among the top 10 percent of rehabilitation facilities in the nation, earning the prestigious Top Performer Award for the fourth consecutive year.

The Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR), a non-profit organization headquartered in Buffalo, New York, annually selects the nation’s top rehab facilities.

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit is an 11-bed unit located within Hutchinson Regional Medical Center (HRMC). Patients are required to participate in rehabilitation at least three hours per day, five days per week. Therapies include physical therapy, as well as occupational and speech therapy. Activities go beyond traditional exercises to simulate household management tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry, to help prepare them for their return home.

UDSMR maintains the largest national database for inpatient rehabilitation units. The HRMC Inpatient Rehab Unit was ranked among 850 similar organizations throughout the nation.

Rankings were determined by a reporting system using indicators contained in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Assessment Instrument, a key indicator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services’ reporting tool for Inpatient Rehabilitation facilities. The goal of the rankings is to recognize high-performing facilities for their delivery of quality patient care that is effective, efficient, timely, and patient-centered. Key metrics in the report include length of stay goals and functional independence change measures, such as patient self-care, mobility, communication and social cognition and the number of patients discharged back to the community.

Tammy Schneider, Manager of Analytical Services Group for UDSMR, commended the Hutchinson Regional unit for being a multiple-year winner and labeled the designation as quite an accomplishment. “To recognize efficient and effective care, we are pleased to present this award to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center,” Schneider said. “We look forward to working with Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, and the other top performing facilities across the nation that rank in the top 10 percent, to improve care in all inpatient rehabilitation facilities.”

Sarah Spexarth-Winter, MSN, RN, said the national designation for being a Top Performing Unit is the successful culmination of thousands of hours of hard work by both the unit’s patients and employees. “The patients are a joy to work with and our goal is to fulfill their desire to recover and resume a normal lifestyle in the shortest time possible.,” Spexarth-Winter said. “The Inpatient Rehab team is very committed and dedicated to providing excellent care to achieve great outcomes for their patients. Also, the unit’s highly trained staff are an inspiration to the patients in helping them achieve their goals.”

Led by Dr. Robbie O’Brien-Leighton, the Inpatient Rehab team consists of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dietary specialists, pharmacists, environmental services and many more who contribute to HRMC’s successful rehabilitation program.

Ken Johnson, President and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System (HRHS) said the most recent award for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit comes as no surprise. “In traveling outside the office, former patients often sing the praises of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit and attribute their recovery and increased mobility to the most advanced methods available,” Johnson said. “This unit is fast becoming a destination for patients who reside in Wichita and cities and towns in the western regions of Kansas.”

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at Hutchinson Regional is one of only three units in the state of Kansas accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). CARF is a rigorous accreditation that requires a service provider to commit to quality improvement, focus on the unique needs of each person the provider serves, and monitor the results of services.

The annual UDSMR rankings were established in 2007 and the most recent ratings included data from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.