About Our Team - Quality/Accreditation

Recognized for Excellence
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is the only hospital in the region consistently ranked among “America’s 50 Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report. Only 170 of more than 5,000 hospitals across the nation made the grade in 2008, and as the community’s only publicly owned hospital, we're proud to be one of them. This year, U.S. News recognized Sarasota Memorial among the 50 best in geriatric care, a highly specialized, multi-disciplinary area of medicine addressing the complex conditions of aging, and a specialty whose outcomes – perhaps more than any – depend on the multi-disciplinary care of the entire hospital and medical staff.

Sarasota Memorial also is the only hospital spotlighted by Forbes.com as one of America’s Safest Hospitals.

Our rehabilitation team plays a critical role in the continuum of care provided by Sarasota County’s only Comprehensive Stroke Center, certified by the accredited by the Joint Commission.

Sarasota Memorial’s rehabilitation team is also CARF-accredited. CARF is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides accreditation to rehabilitation and human services providers from the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. Its mission and purpose is to promote and improve the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services that enhance the lives of the persons served. This is completed by promoting organizations that show commitment to continually improving their services and adhering to higher standards than are necessary. www.carf.org.

About Our Team
Whether you are receiving treatment as an in- or outpatient, our rehab team will be with you through every phase of your recovery. Our team includes:

Case Managers are social worker or nurse who assists in the planning, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of medical services for a patient, with an emphasis on quality of care, continuity of services, and cost-effectiveness.

Occupational Therapists (OT) Occupational therapists also assist patients in relearning the "activities of daily living" like eating, bathing, dressing and handling household, work, or school activities. They also teach patients to use special adaptive devices to help them reach their goals.

Orthotists and Prosthetists evaluate, cast, fabricate and fit custom orthoses and prostheses in order to maximize the patient’s functional independence and facilitate their discharge planning.

Physiatrist (pronounced "fizz-eye’-a-trist") is the rehab team’s lead physician. A specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, the Physiatrist consults with the patient’s physician to determine whether inpatient rehabilitation is necessary. Should it be, the Physiatrist will evaluate:
• Bowel/bladder management
• Contracture prevention
• Evaluation for adaptive equipment
• Exercise prescription
• Functional assessment
• Prognosis
• Recommendations for family education and training
• Skin management
• Workplace and home modification

Once an evaluation has been completed they work with the patient’s physician and the rehabilitation team to create and carry out an individualized care plan.

Physical Therapists (PT) help patients learn new ways of achieving independent mobility. By enhancing the components of movement - strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and endurance - patients become better able to access the world and resume independent and productive lives.

Psychologists are an integral part of the rehabilitation team and work closely with patients, their physicians, and other healthcare professionals to assure optimum care. Be assured, all services are provided with a high regard for patient confidentiality.

Counseling is often helpful in managing the emotional, cognitive, behavioral and interpersonal problems that may arise following an injury or illness, including:
• Adjustment to recent trauma or impairment
• Cognitive functioning
• Reintegrating into the community
• Development of coping skills
• Family adjustment and coping
• Pain
• Psychological functioning
• Sexuality
• Substance abuse

Our services are individually tailored to meet the needs of each patient and their family, so we make available:

Clinical Psychologists who help patients learn about the many physical and emotional changes that may accompany their disabilities or illnesses. They address problem-solving, emotional adjustment, sexual concerns, pain control and stress management.

Neuro-psychologists who address issues concerning the neurological trauma, chronic illness, chronic pain, and physical disability that can have a significant psychological impact on disabled individuals and their families. Neuro-psychologists conduct tests for patients with brain injuries or other neurological disorders in order to evaluate cognition, memory and behavior deficits and track their recovery.

Recreation Therapists (RT) focus on skill training that promotes the ability to access and enjoy recreational and leisure activities, helping patients develop new leisure options, or teaching them how to adapt to activities they previously participated in. They also help patients find the resources and opportunities they’ll need after discharge to do in the community what they learned in the clinical setting.

Registered Dietitians (RD) ensure that patients have the nutrients they need to heal and participate fully in rehabilitation. They guide patients in modifying their diets as indicated by health conditions or changes in activity.

Rehabilitation Nurses (RN or CRRN) have advanced training in the care of rehabilitation patients. Working with therapists, they are actively involved in all aspects of care and treatment. They help patients and families practice skills and techniques learned in therapy and promote patient knowledge, empowerment, participation and independence.

In addition to providing prescribed medical or surgical care, rehabilitation nurses focus on:
• Preventing a secondary disability
• Enhancing the function of affected systems
• Enhancing the function of unaffected systems
• Facilitating adaptation by helping patients learn to manage their medications, develop strategies for bowel and bladder management, and care for the skin.

Respiratory Therapists (AART) assist patients in maximizing breathing function and helping those who use ventilators or have other respiratory problems.

Social Workers (LSW, MSW) work with patients and their families to plan for life outside the hospital – housing, care giving, and economic concerns, as well as relationships with family and friends. They also help patients and their families connect with programs available through community, social and financial agencies.

Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP) help patients with communication issues, as well as with reading, writing, memory and problem-solving skills. They also evaluate and train patients with swallowing difficulties to help them resume safe eating. A Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) safely and objectively measures:
• Repetitive lifting capacity at various levels
• Repetitive push, pull, and carrying capacities
• Hand grip strength
• Tolerance for elevated work
• Prolonged trunk flexion in sitting and standing
• Prolonged trunk rotation in sitting and standing
• Prolonged crawl, knee and sustained crouch positions
• Repetitive squat
• Tolerance for prolonged sitting and standing
• Maximum walking, stairs and stepladder capacity
• Balance
• Hand coordination