Questions to Ask When Choosing a Rehab Facility After Surgery

Every rehab facility will tell you they have a great therapy team. The admission coordinators are warm and the lobbies look clean. That's not enough to make the right choice for your parent.

The questions that actually reveal a facility's clinical capability are specific — and they vary depending on what you're recovering from. A facility excellent at post-hip orthopedic rehab may have limited experience with stroke recovery. A facility with strong cardiac monitoring may not have the neurological expertise your loved one needs after a brain event.

This guide gives you targeted questions for three of the most common post-surgical or post-acute rehab situations: orthopedic surgery (especially hip and knee replacement), stroke, and cardiac events. Use these as a starting checklist, not a complete script — the facility's answers will tell you everything you need to know.

Hip and knee replacements are among the most common reasons people enter a skilled nursing rehab facility. Recovery is predictable and often successful — but it requires daily physical therapy, proper fall prevention, and staff familiar with orthopedic precautions.

Questions to ask:

• How many physical therapy sessions per day will the patient receive, and how long is each session? (Look for at least one hour of PT daily, ideally more.)
• Does the facility have a dedicated orthopedic rehab program or unit?
• What are the hip precautions protocol, and how does the nursing staff reinforce them between therapy sessions?
• What is your average length of stay for patients following total hip replacement? What percentage go home versus transfer to long-term care?
• Does the facility use specialized orthopedic equipment — like continuous passive motion machines or elevated toilets — and is it available immediately upon admission?
• What is your fall rate for orthopedic rehab patients? What prevention protocols are in place?
• Will the therapist communicate with the orthopedic surgeon's office, and how often?
• What is the plan if the patient has wound complications post-surgery? Is wound care provided on-site by a licensed nurse?

Stroke recovery is significantly more complex than orthopedic rehab. It may involve physical, occupational, and speech therapy simultaneously, and the pace and approach must adapt to rapidly changing neurological function. Facilities that don't specialize in stroke may underserve these patients significantly.

Questions to ask:

• Does the facility have experience with stroke patients, and how many do you currently have in residence?
• Do you have a certified speech-language pathologist on staff (not contracted)? What are their hours and availability?
• Can you provide concurrent therapy — PT, OT, and speech on the same day? (This is standard at good stroke programs.)
• How do you handle cognitive and behavioral changes following stroke — such as emotional lability, aphasia, or impulsivity?
• What is your staffing ratio specifically on the unit where stroke patients are housed?
• Do you have experience managing dysphagia (swallowing difficulty)? What protocols are in place for modified texture diets and aspiration risk?
• How do you communicate with the patient's neurologist? Is there a physician on-site daily?
• What therapy intensity can you offer — and can you match the level recommended by the hospital's therapy team?
• How do you measure and track neurological recovery over time? What tools do you use?
• What percentage of your stroke patients return home versus transfer to long-term care?

Cardiac rehab after a heart attack, open heart surgery, or decompensated heart failure requires careful medical monitoring, graded physical activity, and attention to fluid balance, medications, and vital signs. Not every SNF is equipped to manage this safely.

Questions to ask:

• Is there a physician on-site daily, or are physicians available only by phone for routine concerns?
• Does the facility have cardiac monitoring capabilities — telemetry or remote cardiac monitoring — for patients at elevated risk?
• What is the nursing staff's experience managing patients on complex cardiac medications such as diuretics, anticoagulants, or antiarrhythmics? How is medication reconciliation handled at admission?
• How do you manage fluid balance monitoring? Are daily weights and intake/output tracking standard protocol?
• Do you have experience with post-LVAD patients or post-transplant patients if applicable?
• What is your hospital readmission rate for cardiac patients? (Ask specifically — not just the overall readmission rate.)
• Is your physical therapist certified in cardiac rehab, or do they have documented experience with post-cardiac patients?
• What early warning protocols are in place to catch signs of heart failure decompensation — such as sudden weight gain, shortness of breath, or reduced urine output?
• How do you coordinate with the cardiologist's office during the stay? Who initiates contact if something changes?
• What is your plan if the patient deteriorates — who makes the call, and how quickly?

Beyond diagnosis-specific questions, these apply to any rehab facility evaluation:

• Therapy hours: How many hours of therapy per day is the patient expected to receive? Is this guaranteed in the admission agreement?
• Staffing levels: What is your current RN hours per resident per day? What is your CNA-to-resident ratio on the unit where this patient will stay?
• Weekend therapy: Is therapy available on weekends? At what level — full therapy, reduced, or none?
• Discharge planning: Who leads discharge planning, and how early does it begin? What does "home-ready" mean to your team?
• Inspection history: Have you had any recent citations related to therapy, nursing care, or resident safety? (You can verify this independently on Placet.)
• Waitlist and capacity: Is there a bed available immediately, or is there a waitlist? If there is a waitlist, what is the current estimated wait time?
• Communication: Who is my primary point of contact? How will the family be updated on progress, and how often?

Before and during a tour, watch for these specific warning signs:

• Strong odors in hallways or resident rooms — can indicate inadequate incontinence management or housekeeping
• Residents left in wheelchairs in hallways for extended periods without engagement
• Call lights that are illuminated for more than a few minutes without response
• Staff who appear rushed, who don't greet you, or who can't answer basic questions about their unit
• Vague or evasive answers to direct questions about staffing ratios, therapy hours, or inspection results
• Admission coordinators who promise outcomes without data to support them
• Pressure to decide immediately or a hard sell on extras that seem unrelated to clinical care

Trust your instincts. A facility where staff seem calm, organized, and willing to answer hard questions is giving you real information. A facility where you feel managed rather than informed is also giving you real information.

If you have time to compare — even a few hours — use it. The choices made in the first 48–72 hours after hospital discharge shape the entire recovery trajectory.

For each facility you are considering:

• Look up their CMS star rating and the staffing component specifically
• Check their most recent inspection results and any deficiency citations
• Note their RN hours per resident per day (compare to the national minimum of 0.55 and the median of approximately 0.7)
• Ask about their specific experience with your loved one's diagnosis
• Call and ask the questions in this guide — a facility's willingness to answer them directly tells you something important

Placet's facility directory includes staffing data, inspection history, quality ratings, and ownership information for every Medicare-certified SNF in the country. Compare the facilities on your shortlist before committing — it takes less time than you think and makes an enormous difference in peace of mind.