All of NeuroRestorative’s subacute programs use the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scale, which assesses physical and cognitive disability. This scale focuses on the burden of care, or the level of disability indicating the level of direct care required to support an individual. Items are scored on the level of assistance required for an individual to perform activities of daily living.
The scale includes 18 items, of which 13 items are physical domains based on the Barthel Index and 5 items are cognition items. Each item is scored from 1 to 7 based on level of independence, where 1 represents total dependence and 7 indicates complete independence. Possible scores range from 18 to 126, with higher scores indicating more independence.
Key Findings
In 2017, our average FIM scores increased an average of 28 points, with 66% of scores increasing 20 points or more.