Today, there is growing appreciation that care initiated in the ED may too often trigger a subsequent “default” inpatient hospitalization, due to the fact that emergency physicians are generally afforded only three options following ED treatment: admit, discharge, or observe. However, early research suggests that the needs of elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions may be better met by providing more home-based care options.
I recently participated on the West Health Advisory Council on ED to Home-Based Care—a multidisciplinary council comprised of emergency physicians, geriatricians, home health nurses, policy makers, and caregivers brought together to discuss how to best amplify the appropriate use of emerging home-based care options for patients initially seen in the ED.
I sat down with Amy Stuck, PhD, RN, program manager for successful aging at West Health, to discuss the aims of the Advisory Council and next steps for improving cross-continuum care for the growing senior population.
Please click here to read the interview at the Advisory Board’s “Care Transformation Center” blog.