Two Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are among the top-ranked for "America's Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers for 2023" by Newsweek/Statista.
The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 2 in New York State for inpatient rehabilitation care, with stroke care designated as a "Standout Program." Mount Sinai Morningside, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, is ranked No. 5 for inpatient rehabilitation. These prestigious accolades highlight the exceptional quality of care and follow-up care, along with accommodations and amenities that are part of the rehabilitation centers at these hospitals.
"This ranking validates the hard work of our faculty and staff to ensure excellent patient care. We are pushing the boundaries of rehab medicine through innovation and research and ensuring we are paving the way for the future of rehabilitation medicine by training leaders in the field," says Joseph Herrera, DO, Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance for the Mount Sinai Health System and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
These rankings follow a significant honor from the White House. This year, President Biden signed a new law designating The Mount Sinai Hospital as a national innovation rehabilitation center. Mount Sinai is the only hospital in New York and one of six hospitals across the country to receive this distinction. The Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Centers Act was signed into law on January 5, 2023, and recognizes rehabilitation facilities that conduct specific federal research and training for traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, and that serve at least a certain number of Medicare patients. The mission of the designation is to continue to push innovation for rehabilitation medicine and to work closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help support the treatment and care for patients on rehab units.
The Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance stands out for its diversity of programs encompassing brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatrics, sports medicine, pain management, geriatric care, women's health, and long COVID. The Abilities Research Center is a site within the Department that studies and offers innovative rehabilitation technologies including upper- and lower-limb robotics, exoskeleton devices, and noninvasive brain stimulation to maximize patients' independence and mobility. It is also dedicated to researching and caring for patients with long COVID.
The Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance also has a specialized Women's Health program to care for women with musculoskeletal needs, including injuries or pain during and after pregnancy. Additionally, the Department partners with the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Bronx to help care for patients with spinal cord injuries, using advanced technologies such as robotics and spinal cord stimulation.
Mount Sinai's Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance continues to expand its profile across New York. It just expanded services to Long Beach, New York, on Long Island. At Mount Sinai Morningside, construction is underway to build a large, state-of the-art rehab unit that will house two comprehensive model systems of care for both brain injury and spinal cord injury patients. Physicians there will use innovative technologies including robotics and virtual reality to treat patients with brain and spinal cord injuries. The site will also offer adaptive technology for paralysis and augmented reality for pain management, anxiety, and depression post-injury. This will also be a research site to conduct clinical trials.
