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The UNT Health Science Center and Brookdale Senior Living, the largest senior living community operator in the country, recently were awarded a $7.3 million Health Care Innovation award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a program designed to reduce hospital re-admissions of residents in assisted-living situations.

The Brookdale Senior Living Transitions of Care Program, a partnership of the UNT Health Science Center, Brookdale Senior Living and Florida Atlantic University, will begin in Brookdale’s Texas and Florida facilities, gradually expanding to 35 states
Clinical nurse leaders in the program will act as program managers, training care transition nurses and other staff on interventions to reduce acute care transfers, and on health information technology resources to help them identify, assess and manage residents’ clinical conditions.

The UNT Health Science Center will train an estimated 10,926 workers over three years and create an estimated 97 jobs for clinical nurse leaders and other health care providers.

By reducing preventable hospital admissions and readmissions, the program hopes to slow the progress of disease, reduce complications, improve care and reduce avoidable hospital admissions for older adults. The program could reduce hospital readmissions by 11.2 percent and save Medicare $9.3 million.
Only 3 percent of the 3,000 submissions received awards, made possible by the Affordable Care Act to support innovative projects designed to deliver high-quality medical care, enhance the health care workforce and save money.

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