Toward a Model System of Post-rehabilitative Health Care for Individuals with SCI

The report of the Special Interest Group (SIG) on SCI Model System Innovation (2010): Toward a Model System of Post-rehabilitative Health Care for Individuals with SCI—Extending the SCI Model Systems Concept to Health Care in the Community is available at:  http://msktc.washington.edu/sci/sci_sigs/SCIModelSystemInnovationReport.pdf

In this report, 15 leaders from the Spinal Cord Injury model centers around the nation tackle one of the major unaddressed issues in SCI care: meeting the ongoing health care needs of individuals with SCI once they leave the protective cover of the rehabilitation center. The report brings together more than 25 years of literature and countless years of collective experience of professionals on the front lines of SCI care. The four recommendations set forth by the authors will be of interest to researchers, clinicians, policy-makers and consumers and are especially timely now as we enter a potentially transformative period in American health care.