We can do so much better

Studies show that the first visit to the emergency department by an older adult in the U.S. often marks the start of a downward health trend for that person, leading to return trips to the hospital. In many cases, emergency departments don’t meet the needs of geriatric emergency medicine patients.

“We can do so much better,” says UNC emergency and geriatric medicine physician Kevin Biese.

The Geriatric Emergency Medicine Boot Camp, hosted by UNC Health Care, generated ideas for improving emergency care for elderly adults. Nearly 100 UNC Health Care doctors, nurses, case managers, health-care administrators and others from system hospitals and facilities—compassionate and passionate caregivers and professionals—brainstormed solutions to ensure patients get well after their emergency department visit.

Read the complete Carolina Story at UNC Health Care…

UNC Health Care is a part of the Geriatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative, a national collaborative of health-care systems seeking to produce better outcomes for these patients, made possible with $3 million in funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation and West Health.

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