Pharmacists and Care Transitions for Older Adults

Transitions of care, such as moving to a higher level of care or a transition from hospital to home, are complex and a tenuous time among older adults. Ineffective care coordination and management of care transitions result in billions of dollars of excess health care costs, particularly related to avoidable hospital readmissions. Medication discrepancies and errors, poor communication between health care providers, and a lack of follow-up care are common problems that arise after care transitions. Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to help prevent and address medication problems and improve care transitions across care settings among older adults as part of the health care team.