The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation offers home assessments as a resource for inpatients and outpatients receiving therapy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Inpatients. The assessment consists of traveling from the Hospital to the home accompanied by the appropriate occupational therapist, physical therapist or speech-language pathologist. The therapist or therapists administer evaluations and an environmental survey to determine the supervision level required after discharge or to maximize the patient’s function upon return home. While the assessment occurs, the patient remains under the care of the Hospital. Outpatients. For this population, an appointment is scheduled with the designated therapist or therapists, who travel to the patient’s home for the assessment. - How much supervision does a person require?
- Does the patient function differently at home versus the hospital? Is he or she more independent?
- How does the physical environmental support or inhibit function?
- Would adaptive equipment or other strategies improve function?
- How much help should a caregiver provide in the home environment?
Special considerations Home assessments are a one-time service. Continued therapy may be recommended and is then coordinated with the referring source. For inpatients, the person’s medical condition must be stable enough to tolerate the travel to and from the home, and the patient must be willing to return to the Hospital upon completion of the assessment. Scheduling a home assessment Inpatients: Referring physician completes a consult form or writes an order in the chart to specifically request a home visit. Outpatients: For occupational therapy, the referring physician completes a consult form and faxes it to 410-955-7885 (psychiatry) or 410-614-2065 (physical disabilities). | 
