Objective To explore the referral patterns for rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) in community hospitals and establish green channel for SCI rehabilitation between community hospitals and large comprehensive hospitals. Methods Thirty SCI patients who were referred from the Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital to community hospitals between February 2013 and June 2014 were selected for this study. All the patients were assessed with American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA 2011), activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Based on the assessment results, rehabilitation plan was made and the patients underwent community rehabilitation treatment. Results After rehabilitation treatment in community hospitals, the scores of ASIA, ADL and IADL in all the SCI patients were significantly higher than those at the time of referral (P<0.001). Conclusions SCI patients can accept rehabilitation treatment in community hospitals with good conditions. This practice can provide a new type of seamless referral pattern between large comprehensive hospitals and community hospitals for rehabilitation of SCI patients.