Medicare has tightened two requirements governing the specialized hospitals where many stroke survivors, brain injury patients, and people recovering from major surgery begin intensive rehabilitation. Asking the case manager for the date of the initial team meeting, and for a summary afterward, is a reasonable request rather than an imposition. The questions worth asking a rehabilitation facility directly are narrower and more useful than any published rating. How is a rehabilitation facility different from a skilled nursing facility? A rehabilitation facility is licensed as a hospital and delivers intensive, physician-directed therapy for patients who can tolerate a demanding schedule.