What is driver rehabilitation?

Driver rehabilitation is a medical discipline, often performed by occupational therapists, physical therapists, or kinesiotherapists. The role of a driver rehabilitation specialist is to explore transportation solutions for drivers with disabilities and medical challenges (aded.net). My goal as a driver rehabilitation specialist is to help an individual get into their community as safely and independently as possible. This may be with driving or a different mode of transportation.

How can you tell if a person needs driver rehabilitation?

Generally speaking, if you have one or more medical conditions that could impact your ability to think (cognition), vision, motor skills, or psychosocial skills, then you may benefit from driver rehabilitation. More specifically, if you have experienced challenges when driving then you would likely benefit from driver rehabilitation. Some examples that someone could experience include hitting the wrong pedal or hitting it too hard/soft, having significant anxiety that causes you to change your route or reduce your driving, difficulty navigating, difficulty reading signs with enough time to respond to them, or multiple accidents. If the vehicle you or your loved one drives has scratches or dents appear and you/your loved one are unable to recall how they occurred, you likely would benefit from a driver rehabilitation evaluation. If you or your loved one have attempted driver education, but are having difficulty passing or feeling proficient, you may benefit from a driver rehabilitation evaluation.

What is the difference between a CDRS and DRS?

A Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (DRS) is a healthcare professional who has taken additional training to provide driver rehabilitation services. Their credentials and training may vary.

A Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) is a healthcare professional who has had a specific number of hours of training and experience and has taken a written test to demonstrate proficiency. This is a certification provided by ADED (American Association for Driver Rehabilitation).

Do you take insurance?

En Route to Independence does not currently accept insurance. However, we will provide a “superbill” with your receipt that you can send to your insurance company to request a reimbursement. You can contact your insurance company to determine how to request a reimbursement. We can also provide you with our common CPT codes and you can ask your insurance provider before our visit if they expect those to be covered.

How can I schedule with you?

En Route to Independence requires a referral from your medical provider. This referral must include a diagnosis, medications you are taking, and must have any medical documents relevant to your diagnosis/referral attached. If you contact us and provide us with your provider’s fax number we can provide a referral sheet for your provider to fill out if they prefer. Please call 801-882-7666 for additional information.

Once we receive a referral we will call you to ensure we are a good fit for your needs and to schedule your evaluation.