Inpatient Rehabilitation Scope of Services

Reviewed on 07/03/2025

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) provides comprehensive, individualized and patient-centered rehabilitation to children and adolescents in an 18-bed inpatient unit located in the Seashore House on CHOP’s Philadelphia campus.

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services that uses a set of internationally recognized organizational and program standards to help rehab providers optimize care and enhance the lives of patients served. 

Children may be admitted to this unit if they:

need intensive rehabilitation therapy to improve their physical or cognitive skills that have declined due to disease or injury, and
require around-the-clock medical attention.

Our mission and vision

CHOP is committed to setting the standard of care for comprehensive pediatric rehabilitation services across the continuum of care so every patient can achieve their maximum recovery, function and self-sufficiency. The Department of Rehabilitation is a world-renowned leader dedicated to empowering our patients and families to achieve their best quality of life through translational research and the use of innovative technology. Our goal is to help every patient achieve their greatest potential.

Who we serve

Children and adolescents treated in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at CHOP must be referred by a licensed health professional who is actively involved in the patient’s treatment team. Patients are screened based on the program’s admission criteria to determine their potential to participate in and benefit from a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program. While most of our admissions come from a CHOP acute-care settings, we do accept some patients from outside the CHOP network. Our patients range in age from birth to age 21.

Our inpatient unit is appropriate for patients who have:

Brain injuries, both traumatic and non-traumatic
Spinal cord injuries, both traumatic and non-traumatic*
Neurological disorders
Congenital disorders
Orthopedic conditions
Trauma
Cardiac/pulmonary conditions
Debility related to significant medical illness

*Patients with spinal cord injuries who have complete or incomplete levels of C1 and below, and do not require a ventilator may be considered, as will patients with late-onset complications of spinal cord injuries who require a period of hospitalization.

Our unit is NOT appropriate for:

Patients who have a predominantly psychiatric or severe, functionally limiting psychiatric condition
Patients with a medical condition that disrupts the ability of therapists to consistently provide rehabilitation therapies
Patients with a medical condition that limits the patient’s ability to receive consistent therapies
Patients on ventilators
Patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD)
Patients who require dialysis

Admission criteria

When a patient is referred to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, the consultation team evaluates if the patient meets the requirements of the unit and would benefit from it.

To be admitted to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, patients must:

Be medically stable at the time of the admission 
Have a completed medical work-up 
Have pre-certification from patient’s insurance
Require at least two therapy disciplines (i.e., physical therapy/occupational therapy/speech)
Demonstrate the potential for progressive functional improvement through rehabilitative therapies at the time of admission 
Have objective and measurable goals that can be met by the services/programs offered within a reasonable timeframe 
Can tolerate the frequency, duration and intensity of inpatient therapy
Has a functional impairment that will improve with physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy, with an interdisciplinary team approach 
Is willing to fully take part in the inpatient rehab program and follow age-appropriate patient responsibilities

If a referral is made that is outside of the entry criteria, the case will be reviewed by the multidisciplinary team to determine eligibility. The Rehabilitation Medicine Provider is responsible for making the admission decision and communicates that decision to the referrer. If a patient is found ineligible for services, they will be informed of the reasons and provided with recommendations for alternative services. 

If your child is accepted for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, a case management coordinator will perform all insurance approval communications. CHOP currently has various contracts with insurance providers including commercial and government plans, such as Medicaid FFS, Medicare, Tricare and Managed Care Medicaid. Always check with your healthcare insurance plan for up-to-date coverage information.

Once insurance authorization is approved, the patient is admitted to the inpatient unit.

Team-based approach to care

Our goal for each patient is to realize maximal recovery, self-sufficiency and function, most often by returning home. We accomplish this through a team-based approach to rehabilitation. Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians, nurses, therapists, professional and support staff that work together to fully evaluate each patients’ individual abilities in relation to functional mobility, self-care skills, cognitive abilities as well as any barriers to safety.

The team will work with patients and caregivers to create an individualized treatment plan and rehabilitation goals for discharge, which will be monitored and updated throughout the rehab stay.

Unit Performance

100% — Patients would recommend CHOP rehab to a friend or family member that needed therapy
3.3 hours — Average hours of therapy (physical, occupational and speech therapy) received per day per patient
82% — Patients discharged directly home
88%— Patients had an expected discharge to home or the hospital for further medical care

Source: FY2025 Annual Report

Services offered

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit provides a variety of services to patients. Many rehabilitation providers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including physicians and nurses. Other providers – including physical and occupational therapists, social workers, speech-language pathologists and audiologists – are only available during typical business hours. The frequency of services and hours needed are personalized to meet your child’s needs.

The unit provides medical services, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and pharmacy services on-site for all patients admitted to the unit. Other services such as pastoral care, nutrition, psychology, case management and wound care are available as needed throughout your child’s stay. When needed, evaluations for orthotics, prosthetics, wheelchairs and seating issues are available. All services are provided in-person. Interpreter services are provided through both telephonic and video platforms for all patients and caregivers, whenever needed to support effective communication. Below are more details about each service available in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

Nursing

Nursing care services are provided to inpatients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Registered nurses provide care to patients with inpatient rehabilitation goals and use their assessment skills and critical thinking abilities to manage your child’s medical issues and prevent complications. Nurses are responsible for meeting your child’s rest, comfort and hygiene needs, as well as addressing their nutrition and medical needs, all while supporting a safe environment. Before your child’s discharge from this unit, nurses will provide your family with information about how to care for your child at home and ensure both you and your child are prepared for discharge from the hospital.

Medical providers

Medical provider care services are available to patients in the unit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The medical team includes many different levels of providers including board-certified and specialty-trained physicians. These providers examine patients each day, discuss patient care in multidisciplinary care rounds to ensure all providers know and understand your child’s care plan, and update patients and families as needed throughout the day. These providers are also available to address acute concerns as needed, including overnight stays. They work closely with other team members to ensure all patients are safe and able to participate in their therapies to the best of their abilities each day.

Child life

Child life specialists and recreational therapists from CHOP’s Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Department are experts in child development and use play as their primary intervention. These specialists educate patients about their diagnosis, improve coping with hospitalization, and reintroduce play and imagination to children and teens who are recovering from illness or injury. Sessions may be individualized, or group based. Child life specialists also partner closely with families and your child’s rehabilitation team to prepare them to go home and successfully re-enter their community and/or school. Creative arts therapists are trained in their modality (i.e., music, art, dance) as well as human development and psychotherapy. Music, art and dance/movement therapies support patients by helping them identify and express their feelings, cope with treatment, and decrease stress, anxiety and pain. Creative arts therapists may help your child work toward their rehabilitation goals such as speech, cognition, problem-solving, fine-motor skills and body awareness.

Social work

The Department of Social Work provides a variety of services to patients and families including:

Assessment of psychosocial functioning and capabilities
Counseling for care planning and decision-making
Social work treatment
Community resource planning

The goal of social work services is to help the patient regain optimal functioning by working with the many disciplines, programs, departments and organizations supporting the patient. 

Physical therapy

Physical therapists manage movement dysfunction and improve your child’s physical and functional activities. They restore, maintain and promote optimal physical function, wellness, fitness and quality of life as it relates to movement and health. Physical therapists can help prevent physical impairments, functional limitations and disabilities from worsening due to diseases, disorders, conditions or injuries.

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapists are trained in interventions that help patients achieve independence in all aspects of their daily lives. OTs can offer support by helping patients learn how to perform activities of daily living – such as dressing, bathing and grooming – as well as functional mobility skills, upper-extremity functioning (including improving fine motor skills), cognition, vision, scar management and splinting.

Speech-language pathology

Speech-language pathologists evaluate and provide therapy services to children with speech, language, swallowing and/or cognitive impairments. Rehabilitative services include loaning augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices during inpatient rehabilitation stays and, when indicated, assistance scheduling AAC device evaluations when your child begins the transition to outpatient care.

Neuropsychology services

Rehabilitation neuropsychologists evaluate cognitive functions in children on the unit who have medical conditions that affect the central nervous system, such as traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries, brain tumors, epilepsy, hypoxia and encephalitis. Neuropsychologists may be involved in your child’s care at any stage of recovery.

Evaluations include:

Serial monitoring of mental status and cognitive function through the inpatient stay
Targeted neuropsychological evaluation before discharge

Results of these evaluations help the multidisciplinary team better understand your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and provide parents, caregivers and teachers information they can use to determine proper support after discharge. Neuropsychologists may also provide education on brain injury to patients, families and caregivers.

Audiology services

Audiologists provide comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitative audiology services to patients in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. These services may include:

Behavioral audiologic assessments
Balance assessments
Auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing
Hearing device technology evaluations and checks
Loaning or dispensing hearing device technology

Integrative health

The Integrative Health Program at CHOP enhances traditional medicine by providing complementary therapies that support a child’s physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. By taking a holistic approach to care, this program provides therapies for pain control and symptom management that do not include medication. Instead, the program uses yoga, acupuncture, message, mindfulness, reiki and aromatherapy to help patients better manage their pain and anxiety, reduce stress, improve mobility, physical function, sleep, digestion and general health.

Pet therapy

CHOP’s Facility Dog Program provides specially trained dogs from a Service Dog organization to support patients with goal-oriented tasks and interventions. Services provided to patients are based on assessments made by the rehabilitation team, the dog handler and availability of a facility dog. Child Life staff members use Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) interventions to help patients:

Find motivation for therapy sessions
Meet ambulation goals
Help with activities of daily living
Support community reintegration

In addition, the unit has volunteer therapy dogs who make occasional visits to the inpatient unit to provide socialization and comfort at the bedside.

Education coordination & school services

An education coordinator works with families and schools to create plans that support your child’s continued educational needs while they are inpatient and meets their needs when they return to school. Most children who require an extended hospitalization will have access to the Hospital School Program to support their schoolwork and academic needs. The education coordinator can help your family with special education planning, documentation and school re-entry plans to ensure your child has a supportive return to school in your community.

Continued care

To remain in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, patients must demonstrate:

They are benefiting from the program
They are making progress toward reasonable goals
That inpatient rehabilitation is the most appropriate level of care

Discharge criteria

Planning for discharge from the hospital or transition to alternate care occurs throughout all phases of your child’s stay in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. The goal of discharge from inpatient rehab is to return home. In some cases, alternate discharge locations may be necessary.

Patients may be discharged from the program when:

The goals of the individual care plan are achieved, and referral is completed
The patient is no longer medically stable and needs a higher level of care
The patient is unable to participate in the multidisciplinary rehabilitation program
The patient has limited potential for recovery and caregiver training and equipment evaluation is complete (i.e., the patient’s functional status remains unchanged and additional functional improvement is not likely within a reasonable timeframe)
The patient or patient family chooses to exercise their legal rights and refuses continued services

Follow up

The rehabilitation team continues to care for and about patients even after discharge from the unit. We follow up with parents and caregivers 3-4 months after discharge to ensure the patient’s needs continue to be met. You’ll be asked about your child’s functional abilities with dressing, communication, mobility, eating, playing and overall health status. Outcomes have been resoundingly positive for each of these functional tasks, with 95-99% of patients functioning either the same or better since being discharged from the unit in each of these areas.