Evaluation
Key to the process here at Centennial Rehabilitation relative to our specialty programs is the notion of comprehensive evaluation and a consensus opinion by a team of medical and rehabilitative specialists. It is not necessary for a referring physician or adjuster to have already diagnosed the exact nature of the problem prior to considering the referral of a patient. The referring party just needs to know that the patient’s underlying problems appear to involve chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, psychological, delayed recovery, or medication issues, overlaying the presenting injury. Our multidisciplinary team will clarify exactly what those intersecting issues are and how they can be most effectively treated. We then get back to the referring party with our recommendations in that regard.
On that point it is worth noting that a referral for evaluation doesn’t necessarily mean a patient will be admitted to one of our intensive outpatient programs. While that may indeed be appropriate in certain instances, it may also be that a more appropriate course of care might involve further diagnostics by the referring treating physician, in-patient care, redirected rehabilitation that can be handled by the treating physician, a medication adjustment, or nothing else at all, merely closing the case and allowing the patient to get on with his or her life. We will make any of these recommendations in a comprehensive report summarizing the viewpoints of our entire multidisciplinary team.
So we’re a team, not just with each other, but with our various referral sources. Success in complicated cases requires this kind of collaborative approach.