Rehabilitation Institute Referrals

The Rehabilitation Institute is housed on the west wing of North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo's first floor. The 28-bed inpatient unit is staffed with a team of professionals who help patients reach their individual goals. Patients are cared for by a board-certified physiatrist (a physician specialized in physical medicine and rehabilitation), as well as case managers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, rehabilitation nurses, speech-language pathologists, nurse practitioners and a clinical psychologist.

Referrals

Patients may be referred to the Rehabilitation Institute at North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo by physicians, nurse practitioners, rehabilitation agencies, insurance companies, home care agencies, or by self-referral.

Referrals may be called directly to the rehabilitation case manager at (662) 377-7218 or 1-800-843-3375. Physician offices may fax medical records to (662) 377-4119 for the rehabilitation physician to review. The Rehabilitation Case Manager will notify you of the recommendation and admission time frame.

When referral information is received, the rehabilitation case manager will schedule an appointment to evaluate the patient as soon as possible. This evaluation will be reviewed by the Rehabilitation Institute Medical Director and admissions team who approve patients for admission to the Rehabilitation Institute. The rehabilitation case manager will contact the referral source regarding status of patient evaluation and when an inpatient bed will be available.

Admission Criteria

The patient must be medically stable, at least 18 years old, diagnosed with a clearly defined rehabilitation problem that requires intensive coordinated rehabilitation services on an inpatient basis, able to participate in at least three hours of therapy daily with the potential to attain a rehabilitation goal within a reasonable time frame, and be motivated to participate in therapy. In addition, the family members' motivation is an integral part of the patients' therapy. Discharge plan must be established for follow-up care prior to admission.

Our medical director and admissions team evaluate each patient prior to admission. This process determines whether patients are ready for the program medically and whether their needs will be best served by this program.