National Transitions of Care Coalition Hosted Information Exchange on the Issue of Transitions of Care

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 15 /EMWNews/ -- The National Transitions of

Care Coalition (NTOCC) (http://www.ntocc.org) conducted an Information

Exchange to bring together healthcare professionals, consumers, policy

makers, and media to learn more about the issue of Transitions of Care. The

breakfast meeting took place at the Charlotte Renaissance Hotel in

Charlotte, NC on August 14, 2008. Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN, CMSA Executive

Director and Annette Schmidt, sanofi-aventis, spoke on four different

topics:



    -- The current state of Transitions of Care in America



    -- History of the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC)



    -- Overview of the NTOCC vision and the NTOCC Concept Paper, Tools and

Resources



    -- Preview of the NTOCC website -- http://www.ntocc.org -- and its four

portals focused on Consumers, Healthcare Professionals, Media, and Policy

Makers



    There was also a brainstorming session on the topic of "Ways to Work

with NTOCC" and how to implement and utilize many of the tools and

resources on the NTOCC website. NTOCC is being led by the Case Management

Society of America (CMSA) (http://www.cmsa.org) with support from

sanofi-aventis (http://www.sanofi-aventis.us/live/us/en/index.jsp) US LLC.



    Transitions of care include situations in which a patient moves from

primary care to specialty physicians or moves within the hospital,

including moves from the emergency department to other various departments,

such as surgery or intensive care; or when a patient is discharged from the

hospital and goes home or to an assisted living or skilled nursing

facility. Patients, especially older persons, face significant challenges

when moving from one level of care or practice setting to another in the

healthcare system. During these transitions, lack of communication can

result in redundant or conflicting information that often creates serious

issues for patients, their caregivers, and their families.



    Formed in 2006, the multidisciplinary NTOCC Advisory Board includes the

Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), American Association of Homes and

Services for the Aging (AAHSA), American College of Healthcare Executives

(ACHE), American Geriatrics Society (AGS), American Medical Directors

Association (AMDA), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP),

American Society on Aging (ASA), American Society of Consultant Pharmacists

(ASCP), AXA Assistance USA Inc., Case Management Society of America (CMSA),

Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS), Health Services Advisory Group

(HSAG), Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Joint Commission

International Center for Patient Safety (ICPS), Lipitz Center for

Integrated Health Care, Mid-America Coalition on Health Care (MACHC),

National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration -- Long Term

Care (NADONA / LTC), National Association of Social Workers (NASW),

National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), National Case Management

Network of Canada (NCMN), National Quality Forum, Predictive Health, LLC,

sanofi-aventis, Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), The Joint Commission

Disease -- Specific Care Certification, United Health Group (UHG), and

URAC.

    About National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC)



    NTOCC was formed in 2006 to address a serious U.S. health care issue:

filling the gaps that occur when patients leave one care setting and move

to another care setting. These transitions include patients moving from

primary care to specialty physicians; moving or transferring patients from

the emergency department to intensive care or surgery; or when patients are

discharged from the hospital to home, assisted living arrangements, or

skilled nursing facilities. The U.S. healthcare system often fails to meet

the needs of elderly patient populations during these transitions because

care is rushed and responsibility is fragmented with little communication

across care settings and multiple providers. These failures lead to undue

burdens on patients and their families and negatively impact patient

safety, quality of care and outcomes. The focus of NTOCC is to bring

together thought leaders and health care experts from various settings to

address this critical issue, define solutions and develop tools to address

the gaps impacting patient care. Tools and resources developed by NTOCC

will be made available to everyone in the health care industry including

providers, payers, patients and consumers. NTOCC is chaired and coordinated

by the Case Management Society of America in partnership with

sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. Visit http://www.ntocc.org.



    About sanofi-aventis



    Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers,

develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of

everyone. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York

(NYSE: SNY). Visit http://www.sanofi-aventis.us or http://www.sanofi-aventis.com.



    About Case Management Society of America (CMSA)



    Established in 1990, the Case Management Society of America is an

international non-profit 501(c)(6) multi-disciplinary professional

association dedicated to the support and advancement of the case management

profession through educational forums, networking opportunities,

legislative advocacy, and establishing standards to advance the profession.

It is based in Little Rock, AR, and serves more than 20,000

members/subscribers and 70 affiliate and pending chapters. Since its

inception, CMSA has been at the forefront of setting professional standards

for the industry, which allows for the highest level of efficiency and

integrity, as well as developing national and local leaders who are

recognized for their practice and professional excellence. For more

information on CMSA, call CMSA at (501) 225-2229 or go to http://www.cmsa.org.



    For more information, please contact:




    Cheri Lattimer

    Case Management Society of America (CMSA)

    Executive Director

    Phone: (501) 225-2229

    Email: [email protected]

    Website: http://www.cmsa.org/



    Marc Greene

    sanofi-aventis

    (212) 551-4780

    [email protected]