Initiatives Designed to Prevent Readmissions

A recent article in the L.A. Times describes an initiative launched at Cedars-Sinai, the 'frailty project,' in which a medical team works to help at-risk elderly avoid lengthy hospital stays or readmission.

Under this initiative, patients receive a holistic approach to care, focusing not just on the disease that brought them to the hospital, but also on all aspects of their health.  The project launched with a pilot in 2011 and it was expanded last year.

Cedars is now working with INQRI director Mary Naylor and her team at the University of Pennsylvania to develop a program for patients once they are discharged from the hospital.

Programs like Naylor's transitional care model and the frailty project are excellent examples of the types of initiatives needed to address the growing problem of hospital readmissions, as discussed at last week's Care About Your Care event.