Health Care Heroes 2025
COMMUNITY OUTREACH (organization):
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Johnston
Answers provided by Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island Associate Director of Public Relations Polly Manuel.
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How have you helped boost the quality of access to health care? We have added 50 inpatient rehabilitation beds to the continuum of care in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, affording more patients the opportunity to engage in inpatient acute rehabilitation following an illness or injury. Our expert clinicians combine the latest technologies, real-world simulations and advanced therapies so patients are enabled to return to their daily life activities.
What is the biggest challenge you and your organization are facing this year? One challenge is spreading awareness of the difference between inpatient acute rehabilitation and rehabilitation at skilled nursing facilities to referral sources and patients – explaining our goal of three hours of therapy for five days a week and our tailored, multidisciplinary approach to address all aspects of recovery.
What more do you feel the state can do to help further support the health care sector in Rhode Island? Many people don’t know exactly what inpatient acute rehabilitation care is, and it’s up to us to help educate our representatives about what we do and about the patient population that we treat. We also want to make sure they understand the importance of Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients having robust access to our level of care, as well as how regulatory changes impact our operations, employees and, ultimately, our patients.
Are you confident patient access and quality of care will improve in Rhode Island over the next five years? Why or why not? Since Encompass Health of Johnston opened, nearly 85% of our patients have been discharged home rather than back to acute care hospitals or to skilled nursing facilities, and our net promotor score has averaged 91. In addition to achieving excellent patient outcomes and patient satisfaction, we are focused on assisting with transition of care and improving throughput in the area’s acute care hospitals.
