Frequently Asked Questions

Where does rehabilitation take place?

Rehabilitation is a process. It can take place at a variety of points in someone’s care and in a variety of settings, including:

• In hospital – for individuals who are patients in a community, acute teaching or rehabilitation hospital.
• Outpatient – for individuals who can travel to the hospital for each rehabilitation session.
• Home/community – for individuals who can travel to a community-based clinic to receive their rehabilitation. Or, the rehabilitation professional comes to the individual’s home/place of residence, usually because the person cannot travel. A Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) often organizes these services.

Individuals may receive rehabilitation in more than one setting. For example, they may begin with inpatient services during a hospital stay and then transfer to outpatient or home-based services following discharge from hospital.

Who pays for rehabilitation?

The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) covers the cost of inpatient rehabilitation care.

Rehabilitation that takes place in an outpatient clinic, the home or the community may be covered by OHIP, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, automobile insurance or private disability insurance.

There are also private fee-for-service clinics in the community that provide rehabilitation services, e.g., physiotherapy.

How do I find rehabilitation services?

A doctor usually arranges for rehabilitation in a hospital-based program/clinic/service (a referral is made).

For rehabilitation services provided by a CCAC, a referral may be made by a health professional or the individual may contact the CCAC directly.

Rehab Finder is a tool to help patients, families and health professionals find rehabilitation programs in the Greater Toronto Area.