Message From the Chief Medical Officer

This year we are celebrating our position as the best rehabilitation facility in the southern half of the United States and No. 2 in the nation in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The magazine is now evaluating rehabilitation hospitals on new measures that provide more data-driven rankings than the methodology used in the past. They incorporate objective measures of patient outcomes and other aspects of quality to complement an institution’s reputation based on the opinions of experts around the country, which U.S. News measures in an annual survey.

The rankings were created for patients who need a hospital that excels in treating complex, high-risk cases, and the changes provide consumers with more information about quality of care in inpatient rehabilitation facilities across the United States, based on volumes of patients treated who have suffered stroke, traumatic brain injury and traumatic spinal cord injury. They use data from the American Hospital Association annual survey database, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Compare reporting program and the Model Systems in Rehabilitation program supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, in addition to the U.S. News expert opinion physician survey.

With this recognition, we’re also celebrating our 62-year history and longstanding reputation as one of the finest rehabilitation hospitals in the nation. Every recognition we gain is a challenge to our physicians and staff to reach even higher and do more to improve the outcomes of our patients, including our post-COVID-19 patients. We are honored to be recognized for an achievement made possible by our terrific team of therapists, nurses, physicians, other clinicians and employees who stay focused on the same goal: returning each of our patients to meaningful and productive lives in the community.

Gerard E. Francisco, MD
Chief Medical Officer
TIRR Memorial Hermann
Professor and Wulfe Family Chair in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth