The field of geriatric rehabilitation is fertile ground for a wide variety of research investigations. Because the functional approach is the foundation of good geriatric care, opportunities for collaborative projects between geriatricians and physiatrists, rehabilitation therapists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses are numerous. Rehabilitation research is particularly appropriate for the emerging field of outcomes research. Because of the crisis in health care costs in the United States, it is likely that there will be an increasingly strong demand on the part of both government and insurers that rehabilitation clearly demonstrate positive outcomes in care. It will be the job of those in geriatric rehabilitation to ensure that the outcomes that are measured are geared to detecting real benefits for our patients and not just cost savings.