Acute Care and Transitions Program at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
Older patients tend to have higher numbers of pre-existing conditions that can frequently worsen during hospitalization for a new illness.
That's why we created the Acute Care and Transitions (ACT) Program at Magee-Womens Hospital, part of the UPMC Division of Geriatric Medicine.
The ACT program is designed to prevent mental and physical decline of older adults. It does so by ensuring that each member of the health care team is trained in the needs of older patients.
This ensures that they can recognize new problems at their first appearance, when such problems are easier to treat. More importantly, this approach helps to prevent new problems from ever occurring.
Benefits of the Acute Care and Transitions Program
- All ACT health care team members are trained in the needs of older patients.
- Daily visits with a geriatrician and certified nurse practitioner to coordinate all levels of care.
- Qualified and efficient emergency room care with quick transition to the inpatient unit.
- Review of the patient’s medication list by a pharmacist who is specially trained in geriatric medications.
- Integrated transitions program to ensure nothing goes unchecked when a patient leaves the hospital.
- Close interaction with the patient’s physician to ensure that transition following discharge is as safe and as seamless as possible.
- On-site UPMC Senior Care – Outpatient Practice clinic to follow up with patients after discharge.
These processes and safeguards can help shorten typical hospital stays for older patients, reduce complications, and increase the likelihood that patients after recovery will enjoy the same or better functioning than before their hospitalization.