U.S. News and World Report Again Names the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago America's Best

CHICAGO, July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report — the independent news organization that rates academic institutions, hospitals and other services vital to consumer health and well-being — announced today that the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) is once again the country's best hospital for physical medicine and rehabilitation. This is the 24^th consecutive year RIC has earned this prestigious designation.

"We are proud to be recognized by physicians and U.S. News as the world's best hospital for physical medicine and rehabilitation," said President and CEO Dr. Joanne Smith. "We hold this honor in high regard and believe that as the leader in our field we have a calling and obligation to do more for our patients, to produce better outcomes and recoveries. Throughout our history, we have revolutionized the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation and we will continue to pioneer ways to Advance Human Ability."

RIC's world class research engine is central to the innovative care that continues to earn the #1 ranking. In the past year:

• RIC earned two more federal research designations from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Education's National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). With a total of 8 designations, RIC has 4x more than any other rehabilitation hospital. These designations are the basis for the pioneering research that enables RIC to provide advanced clinical care in the areas of spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, robotic and virtual reality based stroke therapies, neurological rehabilitation, outcomes research, rehabilitation engineering research and mobility technology.
• RIC's Center for Stroke Rehabilitation completed the first successful pilot study of a new approach to modulate brain healing and improve lasting arm and hand use in stroke survivors, helping them regain independence. This has led to the first large-scale trial of its kind at 12 additional research centers across the United States.
• RIC's Center for Bionic Medicine unveiled the world's first thought-controlled bionic leg and first commercially available bionic arm.

RIC's momentum continues as it moves closer to the opening of the new, state of the art research hospital in January 2017. The $550 million, 1.2 million-square-foot facility will redefine the field of medicine, placing scientists, engineers and device developers in the same space as patients and clinicians. This dynamic and integrated model of care enables research breakthroughs to become available to patients sooner.

About The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) is the nation's leading provider of comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation care to patients from around the world. Founded in 1954, RIC has been designated the "No. 1 Rehabilitation Hospital in America" by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991. RIC sets the standard of care in the post-acute market through its innovative applied research and discovery programs, particularly in the areas of neuroscience, bionic medicine, musculoskeletal medicine and technology transfer. For more information, go to www.ric.org.

SOURCE Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago