THE NEW SUMMIT APPROACH
Catastrophic rehabilitation is by its very nature complex, often with stays in multiple facilities. Every transition between facilities is an opportunity for errors or omissions in information. It is therefore extremely important for all members of the treatment team to collaborate from the beginning on the care of the catastrophically-injured person. Ideally, this process begins prior to admission, with the appropriate gathering of the necessary information for the patient’s care. An in-depth understanding of the patient’s condition is needed to appropriately plan for the challenges and barriers to obtaining the highest level of function.
The New Summit approach involves true, interdisciplinary teamwork to make sure that everyone on the treatment team understands the details and nuances of the case. As every catastrophic injury is different, each case warrants an individualized treatment approach.
Treatment Steps
After initial evaluation including assessments by medical professionals with expertise in the type of rehabilitation the individual will need, an interdisciplinary team conference is held to discuss the nuances of the case and develop a rehabilitation program. When appropriate, the New Summit approach involves having a family conference to educate the family on the nature of the injury or illness.
The New Summit Approach involves:
- Evaluation by Internal Medicine Physician
- Evaluation by Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Physician
- Evaluations by each therapy discipline (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy
- Evaluation by Nursing
- Evaluation by Psychology/Neuropsychology (when appropriate)
- Initial interdisciplinary case planning meeting
- Weekly interdisciplinary team rounds
- Family team educational conference (when appropriate)
- Integration with external case managers with weekly reporting
- Discharge planning and case management.
- Equipment evaluation and coordination
