Rehab hospitals have multidisciplinary staff who assist the patients in training, demonstrations, drilling and support. In recovering from the results of a stroke, a natural process of spontaneous recovery takes place by itself through the body’s own mechanisms. Rehab can contribute to this process and help to promote it. Another role of the rehab process is to prevent immediate or later complications as much as possible, and teach the patient and his / her family how to cope with the new disability and use undamaged functions to the limit.
Duration of rehab: the functional recovery process can take weeks, months or many years after the stroke. Rehab needs vary patient to patient, based on the seriousness of their condition, rate of recovery, age, general medical condition, accessibility of the patient’s home and other variables. It is the HMO’s responsibility to provide hospitalization-based rehab as long as the medical need exists based on the recommendation of the attending physician at the rehab hospital.
Who can select the ward / hospital for rehabilitation ?
The quality of rehab sometimes depends on the rehabilitation facility’s geographic location and the family’s ability to make frequent visits.
The law permits the patient to select the location of hospitalization out of the institutions who have signed an agreement with the HMO (“selection agreement”). The law requires the HMO to post the list on its website and provide it to anyone upon request.
Complaints about the HMO’s decisions concerning medical treatment and rehab can be filed, specifing the patient’s personal information and the HMO, and providing medical documents. Such complaints would be sent to the National Health Law ombudsman, either by fax to 02-5655981, by post to 39 Yirmiyahu Street in Jerusalem, or by e-mail to
The ombudsman’s office can also be called at *5400.
