FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 10, 2020
Saratoga Hospital Inpatient Transition Program Featured in Family Doctor Journal
Dr. Kevin Dooley authors article on ‘Building Bridges and Filling Gaps’
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Nov. 10, 2020—Follow-up care in the first few days after a hospital stay can have a significant, positive effect on health outcomes and quality of life for older, at-risk patients. Yet many must wait weeks for appointments with healthcare providers, increasing the likelihood that these patients will end up back in the hospital.
To prevent this scenario, healthcare organizations increasingly are adding hospital-to-home services, such as Saratoga Hospital’s Inpatient Transition Program. Dr. Kevin Dooley, medical director of the program, describes its approach and impact in “Building Bridges and Filling Gaps,” in the fall 2020 issue of Family Doctor, a journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians.
“Many readmissions can be avoided by scheduling a follow-up visit within two to three days of discharge, once new prescriptions are filled, and questions begin to arise. Meeting that time frame simply is not possible for many practices,” Dooley said.
“As dedicated inpatient transition providers, we are in a position to give these fragile patients the extra time and attention that might not be available in a busy primary care office,” he added. “We provide concierge-like care and make it clear that patients should call us for any reason until they reconnect with their family physician.”
Dooley and his partner, physician assistant Seana Mosher, use these early follow-up visits to assess patients, help them update and organize their medications, schedule appointments with specialists and arrange for in-home support services.
In the year since its inception, Saratoga Hospital’s Inpatient Transition Program has reduced both the stress that patients experience after discharge and the likelihood of readmission. The program also has alleviated some of the burden on primary care providers.
Dooley wrote the journal article primarily to educate other healthcare providers about the program. “Many health systems face the same challenges we do,” he said. “We’re hoping our community’s solution can serve as a model for them.”
Dooley has worked as a family physician and hospitalist for 25 years. He also has experience providing home care to patients in partnership with a certified home health agency. In addition to serving as medical director of Saratoga Hospital’s Inpatient Transition Program, Dooley is president of the hospital’s medical staff.
More information on the hospital’s Inpatient Transition Program is available at SaratogaHospital.org.
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About Saratoga Hospital: Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare provider and the only acute-care facility in Saratoga County. The hospital’s multispecialty practice, Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, provides care at more than 20 locations, ensuring easy access to programs and services that can have the greatest impact on individual and community health. Saratoga Hospital has maintained Magnet designation for nursing excellence since 2004. The hospital is an affiliate of the Albany Med Health System, which also includes Albany Med, Columbia Memorial Health and Glens Falls Hospital. The region’s largest locally governed health system, it has 1,520 beds, more than 800 physicians and 125 outpatient locations. For more information: www.saratogahospital.org or www.facebook.com/SaratogaHospital.
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Peter Hopper
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518.583.8679
phopper@saratogahospital.org