Postacute rehabilitation research and policy recommendations.

This article summarizes the research and health policy recommendations developed by participants at the symposium "State-of-the-Science on Post-Acute Rehabilitation: Setting a Research Agenda and Developing an Evidence Base for Practice and Public Policy," held in February 2007. A diverse group of participants represented federal government agencies, private insurers, professional organizations, providers of rehabilitation services, patients and their advocates, and health researchers. During roundtable discussions and theme-specific break-out sessions, participants were asked to consider 5 major topics regarding postacute rehabilitation care: (1) the extent of our knowledge, (2) the limitations of our knowledge, (3) the barriers that limit research, (4) research priorities to reduce these obstacles and assemble needed evidence, and (5) the major policy implications.