Oakwood Healthcare Inc. named the Oakwood Rehabilitation Trauma Unit, staffed by the Wayne State University Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Oakwood Program, as Oakwood's Clinical Program of the Year for 2012.
The 14-bed specialty unit at Oakwood Heritage Hospital in Taylor was designed for traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and neurological trauma patients.
"We've been able to assemble a team that is both diverse as well as having the multiple complex specialties that may be involved in these patients in their continuum of care," said Jay Meythaler, M.D., J.D., director of the Rehabilitation Trauma Unit and professor and chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. "The award reflects how a rehabilitation program can improve the quality of care, the outcomes of care and the reimbursement to an integrated health care system. It does this by improving the flow of patients through various levels of care in a vertically integrated health care system."
The Oakwood Heritage Hospital Neurotrauma Rehabilitation Unit renovation was completed in January 2012 at a cost of $5.8 million. The unit runs at full capacity while working in collaboration with Oakwood Southshore and Dearborn Hospitals.
The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Oakwood program boasts of a full team of specialists, including physicians who are leaders and experts in the areas of amputee services, cancer rehabilitation, eletrodiagnostic testing, geriatric rehabilitation, musculoskeletal disorders, neck and back pain, spasticity management services, spinal cord injuries, sports injuries, stroke rehabilitation, transplant rehabilitation and traumatic brain injuries. The program includes 24-7 physician coverage, 365 days per year, with high-quality faculty and staff utilizing state-of-the-art facilities, including all private rooms and same-floor CT, MRI and intensive care unit to provide the finest in research, teaching and patient care.
Under the leadership of Dr. Meythaler, Steven Hinderer, M.D., M.S., P.T., and In Kwang Yoon, M.D., the program has become the regional leader in delivering rehabilitation care that focuses on healing and the art of and practice of medicine upon acute care admission, through the continuity of care and outpatient services utilizing an interdisciplinary approach.
Candidates for Oakwood's Clinical Program of the Year are evaluated against the STEEEP principles for providing care that is Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable and Patient-Centered. The teams' customer excellence scores are also considered.