Mary Free Bed Announces Strategic Alliance with The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Nov. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 1, 2011 – Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Michigan’s leading rehabilitation hospital, is entering into a strategic affiliation with The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, or RIC, which has been ranked the number one rehabilitation hospital in the nation for the past 21 years.

Mary Free Bed will benefit from RIC’s expertise in developing systems to expand services, improve efficiencies and grow care networks so patients can access Mary Free Bed’s leading rehabilitation care.   Both organizations will benefit from cooperation in research and other innovations.  Specifically:
•   Teams from RIC will consult with Mary Free Bed as the hospital continues to grow and expand its new Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network
•   Mary Free Bed patients will have the opportunity to participate in research trials with RIC
•   Both organizations will benefit from sharing best practices related to process improvement, development of new rehabilitative treatments and collaborative research

Mary Free Bed officials anticipate this unique affiliation and its new rehabilitation network will result in increased access to rehabilitation services, job creation and healthcare cost reduction.

The two hospitals announced the news during a special reception on Tuesday, Nov. 1, in Grand Rapids.  Members of the healthcare community, including representatives from Saint Mary’s Health Care, Metro Health Hospital and others, joined the leadership teams at Mary Free Bed and RIC for the announcement.

“Our shared mission of restoring ability, hope and freedom to people with disabilities makes this affiliation a natural one,” said Kent Riddle, CEO of Mary Free Bed.  “This alliance, as well as our network, will enable us to address critical issues of health care reform, reduce health care costs and add jobs.

“We are particularly looking forward to working with RIC on the development of our network.  RIC has had more than 20 years of experience in running the leading rehabilitation network in Illinois and Indiana, and we will benefit tremendously from its experience.”

Unveiled in June, the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network is an innovative alliance of hospitals and providers formally integrated with an independent Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.  The network is designed to extend Mary Free Bed’s expertise beyond the walls of its current hospital to other settings, creating a seamlessly integrated system of rehabilitative care for patients – wherever they might live or work.

“Mary Free Bed has long been recognized as the leading rehabilitation provider in Michigan,” said Joanne C. Smith, MD, CEO of RIC. “It is a true honor for RIC to now share our leadership with Mary Free Bed in this novel market approach and to leverage the knowledge and expertise of both institutes to the benefit of patient and family access to great care and great outcomes.

“Bringing RIC’s world-class rehabilitation practices to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital means more patients will have access to Mary Free Bed’s excellent care. We are thrilled to partner with Mary Free Bed.”

Founded in downtown Chicago in 1954, RIC has earned a worldwide reputation as being a leader in patient care, advocacy, research and educating health professionals in physical medicine and rehabilitation.  Recognized as the nation’s leading rehabilitation hospital by U.S. News & World Report since 1991, RIC is an expert in treating complex conditions, including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke and cerebral palsy, as well as arthritis, chronic pain and sports injuries.

RIC operates its 165-bed, flagship hospital in downtown Chicago, as well as a statewide system of more than 42 sites of care throughout the Midwest that deliver inpatient, day rehabilitation and outpatient services.

Mary Free Bed officials anticipate the new strategic alliance with RIC, as well as its new rehabilitation network, will allow it to reduce inpatient costs approximately 10 percent by reducing the length of stays.  Additionally, Mary Free Bed anticipates the creation of hundreds of new jobs over the next several years through the expansion of bed capacity and the ability to offer more rehabilitative services.

What Other Healthcare Leaders are Saying:

From Metro Health CEO Mike Faas:  We are very pleased to learn of Mary Free Bed’s strategic alliance with The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.  As the first member of the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network, Metro Health is committed to the principles of collaboration, sharing best practices and partnering with other innovative healthcare providers.  As the leading rehabilitation hospital in the country, RIC brings incredible expertise and experience to West Michigan.  We are sure RIC will be able to help tremendously with the development and expansion of the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network.

From Saint Mary’s Health Care President and CEO Phil McCorkle:  We applaud the announcement of the strategic alliance between Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital and The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.  These two fine organizations are recognized leaders in the field of rehabilitative care.  Mary Free Bed is leading the way in Michigan to establish collaborative initiatives such as this and partner with all hospital systems to provide exceptional rehab services.

About Mary Free Bed

Founded more than 100 years ago, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is an 80-bed, not-for-profit, acute rehabilitation center. Its mission is to restore hope and freedom through rehabilitation to people with disabilities. Mary Free Bed offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation for children and adults using an interdisciplinary approach. In 2011, the organization launched the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network, an innovative alliance of hospitals and providers designed to provide rehabilitation care for patients and families throughout Michigan. For more information, please visit www.maryfreebed.com, or call 800.528.8989.

About The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) is the nation’s #1 ranked provider of comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation care to patients from around the world and is the leader in research and development of the cutting-edge treatments and technologies in its field.  Through aggressive medical protocols, RIC guides the patient care process toward a better outcome.

RIC holds an unparalleled market distinction with a record seven, multi-year, multi-million dollar federal research designations awarded and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Education’s National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research in the areas of spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, neurological rehabilitation, outcomes research and rehabilitation engineering research.  RIC operates its 165-bed, current flagship hospital in downtown Chicago, as well as a network of more than 45 sites of care distributed throughout the Midwestern region, through which it delivers inpatient, day rehabilitation and outpatient services.

Founded in 1954, RIC has been designated the “#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.

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