Outcomes - By the Numbers

This is based on post discharge patient/family survey results administered by the National Research Corporation (NRC). It rates our facility and other similar facilities in 18 separate areas. The most encompassing question asks if the patient/family would recommend the facility to others, which indicates their overall satisfaction of the facility.

When compared to other programs, Phoenix Children’s ranked above the national average in whether patients/families would recommend our facility to others for Q3 2024.

Phoenix Children’s is consistently ranked above the national average in this category and in the majority (14/18) of the categories in the survey. This indicates that our staff is providing excellent care, and we are making our patient’s stay as pleasant as possible. 

This outcomes measurement and management tool tracks specific measures of function and levels of independence in children. The FIM (functional independence measure) was developed by the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation. It’s used by most adult inpatient, outpatient and community-based rehabilitation programs.

WeeFIM is a version of FIM scoring used to evaluate pediatric rehabilitation programs. Experts use WeeFIM scores to calculate how efficiently improvements occurred over the time kids spend in our program. WeeFIM scores points based on a child’s level of independence in functional skill categories, including:

• Cognition (thinking)
• Communication
• Control of bowel/bladder
• Eating
• Mobility
• Self-care, also known as activities of daily living (ADLs)

WeeFIM results for Phoenix Children’s inpatient rehabilitation program show that:

• The overall number of points gained representing functional improvement on average per patient is higher than that of comparable programs around the country for the second quarter (April - June) of 2024, and similar to the national average for the third quarter (July - September) of 2024.
• Our staff is providing the right amount of therapy, and our kids are working hard to improve their level of functional independence. They’re making great strides, so they can get better and go home sooner.

This measure tracks the average of how many days our patients stay in our program. It helps patients, families and referral providers with planning. However, each patient’s length of stay is based on individual condition, needs and goals.

When compared to other programs, this average tells us how we are doing in terms of time spent gaining important improvements in function. It reflects our goal to be as efficient as possible while providing high-quality care.

Length of stay results for inpatient rehabilitation program at Phoenix Children’s show that:

• Our program’s average length of stay is lower than the national comparisons for the second quarter (April - June) of 2024 and the third quarter (July - September) of 2024.
• When using this number and the number of points gained on average per patient on the WeeFIM, we get a length of stay efficiency score that shows that our patients score more points per day than other comparable programs.

This is the average age for all the patients admitted to our program for the second quarter (April - June) of 2024 and the third quarter (July - September) of 2024. This data helps to identify the ages of the patients we are caring for. We also break it down by age groups representing the patients we serve.

Phoenix Children’s recent average-age inpatient rehabilitation numbers show that: 

• The average age of our patients is similar to other pediatric rehabilitation programs around the country. It also tells us if the population of patients we serve is changing so we can meet their needs.
• We serve a broad range of children. The average age of our patients and the data for specific age groups helps demonstrate Phoenix Children’s diversity of care and capabilities. We understand and serve the rehabilitative needs of all children and adolescents, regardless of age.

Number of Patients by Age Group

This measures the average hours of total therapy received per day by the patients we serve. Based on your child’s needs, the patient will receive a personalized care plan with at least 16.5 hours per week of total therapy that may include any combination of physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapy.

This number shows how many patients we admit to our program yearly and quarterly. Tracking the number of patients admitted to a program gives patients and families, as well as our program leaders, an understanding of the size of our program. Seeing trends in admission volumes helps us to plan and develop programs to meet current needs.

Phoenix Children’s recent inpatient rehabilitation patient admissions numbers show that:

• We have a high volume, which reflects the breadth and scope of our pediatric inpatient rehabilitation program.
• Our patient admission numbers demonstrate that our team has strong experience in caring for patients with a wide variety of conditions.

This represents the percentage of our patients who have shown enough improvement to return to their home and community versus having to go to another institutional care facility to reside.

Phoenix Children’s discharge-to-home inpatient rehabilitation numbers show that:

• Our patients return to their homes more often than the national average for the second quarter (April - June) of 2024 and the national average for the third quarter (July - September) of 2024.
• Our program has provided the support, training and resources our patients and families need so they are ready and able to provide care at home and get back to everyday life.

This tracks how many patients we serve that need to be transferred back to a higher level of medical care due to a decline/change in medical status.

Due to the complicated/involved medical issues that brought our patients to us for care, sometimes they experience setbacks while on the road to recovery. This may be due to surgical complications, unforeseen surgical needs or any downturn in a child’s medical condition requiring more extensive acute care.

This number represents the percentage of all our admitted patients who have some type of brain-related condition that affects normal function.

What the percentages tell us about rehabilitation care for brain-injury and other conditions:

• The inpatient rehabilitation program at Phoenix Children’s has a high percentage of patients with brain-related diagnoses. Although we treat a wide range of patients with other conditions, children with neurological injuries represent the largest group of patients we serve. This is because our teams have extensive pediatric-focused experience in neurology, complex rehabilitation and related specialties.
• Our exceptional expertise includes specialty care through Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) at Phoenix Children’s and our status as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. Phoenix Children’s trauma center is Arizona’s leading site for evaluating, stabilizing, treating and caring for severely injured children.