A comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility (CORF) is an outpatient healthcare center that provides rehabilitation services. Medicare-certified CORFs must meet strict requirements.
Original Medicare consists of Medicare Part A, which covers hospitalizations and inpatient care, and Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient medical care.
An outpatient facility is one in which you don’t need to stay overnight to receive care, while facilities that require an overnight stay are called inpatient facilities.
To receive Medicare Part B coverage, you must have an appointment with a healthcare professional or facility that accepts Medicare. These facilities can include doctors’ offices or clinics, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies, or CORFs.
Read on to learn more about Medicare CORFs, the treatments they offer, and the Medicare requirements they must follow.
Generally, outpatient rehabilitation centers can offer a multidisciplinary, coordinated approach to help you recover from certain conditions or medical procedures.
In addition to doctors’ checkups, these facilities generally provide services such as:
- physical, occupational, speech, or respiratory therapy
- social and psychological counseling
- fitting and care for prosthetic and orthotic devices
- certain drugs that you can’t take yourself, such as injection drugs and relevant supplies
- one home visit to check the effectiveness of your rehabilitation plan
However, a facility must fulfill specific requirements to qualify as a Medicare-certified CORF. At minimum, it must provide doctors’ services, physical therapy, and social or psychological services. Optionally, it may also offer additional services covered by Medicare.
Under the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980, a Medicare-certified CORF must also have all the equipment and facilities required to provide all the medically necessary services you need based on your treatment plan.
A facility that lacks sufficient resources must arrange for external practitioners to deliver this service as needed to receive Medicare reimbursement. This is because all treatment must take place on the facility’s premises.
You can get covered outpatient rehabilitation care at a CORF if your care is medically necessary. A doctor must certify your medical need for outpatient rehabilitation and provide your medical history and goals to the CORF team as part of a personalized treatment plan.
This plan must detail your diagnosis, services, frequency, duration, and rehabilitation goals. A doctor must review it within the facility every 60 days to ensure progress.
Whether or not you get outpatient rehabilitation care at a CORF may depend on the degree of care and support your condition requires.
For instance, Medicare might not cover inpatient rehabilitation if you’re recovering from a knee replacement without additional complications. On the other hand, if you’re recovering from a brain injury, stroke, or spinal cord injury, you may be eligible for inpatient rehabilitation instead.
A list of nationwide CORFs is available on NPI Number One. However, you may need to call the facilities or Medicare to verify that these are certified. You can call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
If you use a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan instead of Original Medicare, you should get equivalent coverage for care at a CORF to what you’d get under Original Medicare, as long as your care is medically necessary.
In this case, depending on your exact plan, you may need to receive care from a CORF within the plan’s specific network. Your plan’s provider search function can list these in your area.
Part B covers outpatient rehabilitation. In 2025, after you meet the Part B deductible of $257, Part B can pay for 80% of your care. You must also pay a monthly premium, which starts at $185, depending on your income.
On the other hand, because Part C plans are private, your premium, deductible, and coinsurance may depend on your plan. You must also pay the Part B premium to stay enrolled in a Part C plan. Some Part C plans may cover your Part B premium.
CORFs are outpatient centers offering various rehabilitation services. Medicare-certified CORFs must offer a minimum array of services and must have the necessary equipment and staff on site to provide you with the care you need. Without this, Medicare can’t reimburse these facilities.
To receive care at a Medicare CORF, your doctor must certify your medical need for outpatient rehabilitation and provide a treatment plan that the facility must review every 60 days.
Treatment at a CORF falls under Medicare Part B. A Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan may also cover it. How much you pay depends on which Medicare part covers your care.