Comparative effectiveness of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation: differential outcomes across TBI model systems centers.

OBJECTIVE To measure patient functional outcomes across rehabilitation centers. SETTING Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) centers. PARTICIPANTS Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to 21 TBIMS rehabilitation centers (N = 6975, during 1999-2008). DESIGN Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. MAIN MEASURES Center-specific functional outcomes of TBI patients using Functional Independence Measure, Disability Rating Scale, and Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended. RESULTS There were large differences in patient characteristics across centers (demographics, TBI severity, and functional deficits at admission to rehabilitation). However, even after taking those factors into account, there were significant differences in functional outcomes of patients treated at different TBIMS centers. CONCLUSION There are significant differences in functional outcomes of TBI patients across rehabilitation centers.