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Rehabilitation & Specialized Care Patient Referrals

Rehabilitation & Specialized Care provides a range of rehabilitation services for children with complex medical needs. Review our programs and services to verify that we provide the services your patient needs. Learn how to refer a patient to one of our programs. 

Inpatient Referrals

Rehabilitation & Specialized Care provides transitional medical and rehabilitation care for children and young adults with complex healthcare needs who need continued care before returning home.


Our inpatient program provides care to children and young adults from birth to 21 years of age with complex medical conditions that can include intellectual and developmental disabilities, premature infants, feeding difficulties, heart and lung diseases, ventilator dependency, traumatic injuries, wound care, IV therapy and many other medically complex health conditions.


Once your patient is admitted, on the day of transfer we ask that you continue to communicate with us and the family, including physician to physician and nurse to nurse reports as needed. Our goal is to ensure that the transition for the patient and family goes smoothly. 

Referring Patients

Review our programs and services to verify that we provide the services your patient needs.

Please have the below information available to expedite the referral process:

  • Patient demographic information
  • Medical records in English
  • Medical information, including: 
    • History and physical
    • Most recent progress notes, specialist reports including operative notes
    • Recent laboratory results
  • Financial coverage information 

We will assess the patient for readiness for admission and assure that all disciplines have made preparation prior to the patient’s arrival.

Refer a Patient

To refer a patient, please contact us by phone at 202-635-6151, fax at 202-269-2020. One of our team members will partner with you to ensure the referral process is seamless. 

Referral Sources

Inpatient referrals to Rehabilitation & Specialized Care include, but are not limited to, acute care hospitals in the Washington metropolitan region. If you do not have a hospital or physician referral, but need respite or palliative care services, call us at 202-635-6151 or email us and we can try to get one for you.

Outpatient Referrals

Rehabilitation & Specialized Care provides a range of rehabilitation services for children with complex medical needs. Our outpatient programs are ideal for patients who don't need an overnight stay.

If your patient has private insurance, encourage the family to check with their insurance plan to make sure they have therapy benefits and that Children's National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care is a participating provider.

When you call or fax to refer, please explain who you are referring and why you are referring them. We will verify the patient’s insurance coverage.

Please have ready your patient's medical record documentation, including: 

  • Patient's name
  • Date of birth
  • Address
  • Phone number(s)
  • Name of insurance(s)
  • Insurance ID #
  • Name of the person/guarantor on the insurance
  • Type of therapy requested

Once we have all the necessary information we will contact the parents or guardian to obtain further clinical data to assess the child's needs and make an appointment.

Outpatient Therapy Referrals

For outpatient therapy referrals, please call us at 202-635-5580 or fax us at 202-635-6108.

Equipment Clinic Referrals

For equipment clinic referrals, please call us at 202-635-6167 or fax us at 202-461-3695.

Our Locations

We offer outpatient rehabilitation services at three locations: