Our current healthcare environment is complex. This complexity is associated with the aging population, an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, and communication breakdowns among multiple healthcare providers (HCPs). Patient “handoffs” from providers and healthcare settings are prone to errors and may impact the quality of care received. A comprehensive care transition is a holistic, patient-centered process that ensures patients transfer from HCPs and settings while maintaining communication between all parties. The purpose of this educational activity is to enable the learner to be familiar with care transitions for older adults, to provide strategies to reduce utilization, and to define care transition roles for patients, HCPs, and caregivers.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to

1. Recognize the different care transition models
2. Identify barriers and strategies to improve communication and continuity of care between patients, HCPs, and caregivers
3. Discuss the role of patients, providers, and caregivers in care transitions
4. List strategies to reduce costs related to ineffective care transitions

Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity. For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Participants will receive a certificate on successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:

• Completing the entire activity
• Completing the Pre- and Post-Activity Assessments, Activity Evaluation, and Application for Certificate of Credit forms

You must be logged in to your account to participate in this activity. Start by clicking “Begin” and viewing the CE Info; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save, or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found in your profile.

Method for Calculating CE Credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.

Activity Planners
Kathleen Alsgaard, RN, BSN, MSA
Director, Clinical Programs
Healthcare Transformation, UnitedHealth Group Alliances
Medicare & Retirement

Diane Cempellin RN, BSN, MSHA
Director, Clinical Programs
Healthcare Transformation, UnitedHealth Group Alliances

Rebecca Gleason, RN, CCM
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education

Ann McKnight, BA
Sr. Project Manager II
UnitedHealth Group Alliances

Arlene Rome, RN, BSN
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education

Melissa Smith, RN, MSN, GNP-BC
Manager of Clinical and Continuing Education
UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement

Tamara Tripp RN, MSN, ANP, GNP-BC, CPC
Senior Clinical Educator
Clinical Program Consultant
HouseCalls Clinical, UnitedHealthcare

Activity Planner Disclosures
OptumHealth Education requires the disclosure of any relevant financial relationship a planning member has with the manufacturer(s) of any product discussed in this educational presentation.
All of the planners reported that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.

OptumHealth Education ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.

Reviewer Disclosures
To ensure fair balance and avoid bias, the content for this activity has been reviewed by an independent medical expert with no relevant financial relationships and has been approved by OptumHealth Education.

Sponsored By
This activity is jointly sponsored by OptumHealth Education and UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement.

Commercial Support
There was no commercial support received for this activity.

Hardware/Software Requirements
To view this activity you will need Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox 3.0+ with Windows Media Player 9+, RealPlayer 12+, or Adobe Flash Player 9+. Be sure to disable your pop-up blocking software prior to the beginning of this activity.