The National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) Announces The Release of Its Revised Care Transitions Bundle; The Seven Essential Intervention Categories, for Successful Handoffs During Transitions of Care
Care Transition Bundle Now Available at NTOCC.org
City— April 19, 2022 —Today, The National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) announced immediate availability of the 2022 NTOCC Care Transition Bundle; The Seven Essential Intervention Categories. Originally created in 2011 in order to foster more successful transitions of care across all settings. You can now download the revised 2022 care transitions bundle here.
The 2022 Care Transitions Bundle Seven Essential Intervention Categories, revisions were driven by the ever-changing healthcare industry. NTOCC has now added an optional Appendix for healthcare professionals to download, which includes terms and explanations that maybe not have been in use as widely when the original document was created, along with a new graphic to use as a guide. The new Care Transition Bundle now has a sleek look and has been designed to be more user friendly when developing and implementing your transitions of care program and process so that you can tailor it to your specific healthcare setting.
“The NTOCC Care Transition Bundle is one of NTOCC most accessed and downloadable resources. The 2022 Care Transition Bundle brings the current issues to the forefront and will highlight for practitioners, interventions to consider in meeting todays issues surrounding improved transitions and care coordination across the healthcare continuum.,” said Dr. James Lett, President of The National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC).
.
The National Transitions of Care Coalition has become a thought leader on transitions of care and successful patient outcomes. The library of NTOCC tools and resources are free to use and providers and patients can download the tools on the website NTOCC.org
About the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC): NTOCC is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to addressing the serious issues and concerns related to transitions of care. NTOCC strives to meet its mission: “to raise awareness about transitions of care among healthcare professionals, government leaders, patients and caregivers to increase the quality of care, reduce medication errors and enhance clinical outcomes” with the support of its national governing board, advisors and partners’ council.
NTOCC is an independent entity and works to develop, implement and evaluate innovative, fair-balanced and high-quality learning resources for all healthcare professionals and consumers of healthcare services. Since its founding, NTOCC has created a variety of white papers and statements defining transition issues; tools to help health care professionals, patients and caregivers establish safer transitions; and resources for practitioners and policy makers to improve transitions throughout the health care system
Pharmacist Transitions of Care Task Force, Advancing a New Standard of Care in Our Post-COVID-19 Era of Healthcare
January 19, 2022
by Sara Panella, PharmD, BCPS and Norris Turner, PharmD, PhD
Stepping up in a big way over the last year to bring preventive COVID-19 therapies, in the form of vaccinations, to the masses has been the profession of pharmacy, the pharmacists who administer them, and the pharmacies as the settings of care.
This COVID-19 era in healthcare has been unprecedented and that has been no different for the profession of pharmacy. The pharmacy profession has stepped up and played a more highly visible role in advancing public health than maybe it ever has. As the saying goes, “You never want a crisis to go to waste.” So going forward, as we envision a post-COVID-19 pandemic world, the profession of pharmacy will be better positioned to bring new levels of transformational care to the public – and one of those areas in the purview of NTOCC, can and should be with the role of the pharmacists in transitions of care.
Accordingly, today and going forward, NTOCC is partnering with leaders in the profession of pharmacy, who also possess deep expertise and experience in transitions of care, in order to advance an initiative focused on the crucial role of pharmacists in transitions of care.
Before we talk about the initiative itself, first, we want to share a little historical context. In December 2020, Dr. Sara Panella, Manager, Transitions of Care at Baptist Health South Florida, reached out to Cheri Lattimer, Executive Director of NTOCC, regarding a challenge she faced in her role in leading a team of transition of care pharmacists, as well as the overarching dilemma of the organizational source of professional advocacy, for the role of pharmacists in transitions of care.
Sara’s compelling case led the NTOCC board of directors to readily embrace partnering with Sara in order to advance this strategic direction. Following a brainstorming session on potential pathways to take this topic on, the Board decided to form a 15-member Pharmacy Transitions of Care Advisory Task Force where membership would be composed of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals. In its formation, the NTOCC Board and Sara were unequivocally successful in recruiting 15 knowledgeable, experienced, and highly passionate and committed task force members.
In reinforcing the purpose of the task force, it was implemented in support of the advocacy for the significant role of pharmacists in addressing the gaps and barriers that so often are associated with poor transitions and care coordination. The Advisory Task Force is an interdisciplinary partnership between pharmacists, physicians and nursing leaders across the continuum.
The Task Force was co-chaired by Norris Turner, Pharm.D., PhD., a strategic healthcare quality consultant and current NTOCC Board Member, and Sara Panella, Pharm.D., BCPS.
The Task Force goals were to:
Discuss the role & function of the transition of care pharmacist and determine if there is a need for a model job description
Develop a consensus statement in support of the role of the transitions of care pharmacist
Define current issues in aligning financial incentives and accountability in support pharmacists in the transition of care role
Assess the need for an infographic reflecting the role of the pharmacist in transitions
Evaluate possible educational needs for pharmacists responsible for transition of care programs
After convening five, virtual, lively discussion, 1.5-hour meetings over a period of 5 months, the task force achieved each of its stated objectives. Most notably, the Task Force arrived at consensus on the Ten Principles of Pharmacists in Transitions of Care. These principles will be used to help support education, resources, tools, developing public and professional awareness, and establishment of alignment and partnership with like-minded organizations to acknowledge the essential role that pharmacists have – in operating at the top of their license – in transitions of care and care coordination. Click here to review The NTOCC Transitions of Care Pharmacists Ten Principles .
In continuing advancement on the overarching objectives related to promoting the important role of pharmacists in transitions of care, the NTOCC Board authorized the formation of a Pharmacist Transitions of Care Advisory Committee, which will be Chaired by Dr. Sara Panella. Charlie Page, PharmD, RPh of Geer Village Senior Living will serve as a Co-chairperson.
The future is indeed bright in positioning pharmacists to play a transformational role in vital areas in the era of post-COVID-19 healthcare – and NTOCC, the Pharmacist TOC Task Force and Advisory Committee experts are helping accomplish this in the area of effective management of transitions of care. We encourage practitioners to send us comments or thoughts on this initiative and the Ten Principles as we work together to support all pharmacists in this role. Comments can be emailed to Valerie Emmons, VP of Communications at valemmons@gmail.com
Task Force Members
Sara Panella, PharmD, BCPS, Manager, Transitions of Care; Baptist Health South Florida—Task Force Co-Chair
Norris Turner, PharmD, PhD, President & CEO; Turner Healthcare Quality Consulting, NTOCC Board Member—Task Force Co-Chair
Robert Warnock, PharmD, Recently retired – affiliated with ASCP –
Klodiana Myftari, PharmD, BCACP, Rush University Medical Center
Christopher Antypas, PharmD. Asti’s South Hills Pharmacy
Tina Lipscomb, MSN, RN, CCM, Duke University Hospital, Neurosciences Team
Catherine Mullahy, RN, BS, CRRN, CCM, Mullahy Associates – Consultant and Author
LaNita Knoke, RN, BS, CMCN, CRPF, Home Instead, Inc.
Sonali Iyer, MD, University of California, Irvine
Amina Abubakar, PharmD, Rx Clinic Pharmacy
Michael Deme, PharmD, RX Clinic Pharmacy –
Margaret Hudock, DNP, RN, CCM, Quality Consultant
Brad Phillips, Pharm.D., Director of Operations Long Term Care
Thrifty White Pharmacy,
Joe Litsey, Pharm.D., Thrifty White Pharmacy
Charles Page, PharmD, RPh, Director of Pharmacy Geer Village Senior Living
Paul Boylan, Pharm.D., BCPS, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy University of Oklahoma
NTOCC CALL TO ACTION!!
This year the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) convened a special task force to review and provide recommendation/revision enhancements to the NTOCC Care Transition Bundle: 7 Essential Intervention Categories. The Care Transitions Bundle was first developed and launched in 2011 to support individuals and organizations with essential interventions for improving transitions of care for providers, patients and their identified family caregiver.
We would like to invite providers, patients and caregivers to review the suggested revisions and provide comments or thoughts about the proposed changes. There are seven (7) individual sections to review and you do not have to review all 7 but it is encouraged. The public comment period will be open for 30 days, ending on December 31, 2021.
Feel free to share this link with your colleagues, patients and caregivers or other organizations as everyone is encouraged to review and provide comments. https://nowcomment.com/blogs/29631
Please follow the instructions below for the "Now Comment" platform, in order to begin the process of reviewing the NTOCC Care Transitions Bundle: Seven Essential Intervention Categories.
Link to all 7 of the the care transition bundle documents:
https://nowcomment.com/blogs/296311
In order to include your comments on the proposed revisions to 2011 NTOCC Care Transitions Bundle 7 Essential Elements document, you must set up a new account , on the Now Comment platform, which will only take about 60 seconds.
NTOCC is looking forward to recieving your comments regarding the proposed revisions to the Care Transition Bundle: 7 Essential Intervention Categories. As always if you have any questions regarding this Press release, please contact me anytime by phone at (501)712-8686 or by emailing me at valemmons@gmail.com.
Kindest Regards,
Val Emmons
NTOCC, VP Communications & Govt. Affairs
February 25, 2022—PRIME and NTOCC Develop Collaborative Pathways for Successful Transitions of Care for Patients With Eosinophilic Esophagitis
PRIME® Collaborates with the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) to launch a Safe and Smart Recovery from COVID-19 Pathway
PRIME® partners with NTOCC, ATS, and CHEST to launch a COVID-19 Transitions of Care Pathway
NTOCC Releases New COVID-19 Health Management Tool
NEW Heart Failure Resource Released
New C. Diff Resource from NTOCC & PRIME
NEW OPIOID Resource from NTOCC
NEW Resource NON-Opioid Choices Website
National Transitions of Care Coalition Adds Partners Council Member
Posted on 1/17/2014 by NTOCC®
The National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC), an organization dedicated to improving patient transitions throughout the healthcare system, is proud to announce the addition of a new member to its Partners Council. Curaspan - a leading provider of patient-transition solutions that enable healthcare providers to connect, collaborate, and optimize value during all stages of the transition of care process - is the latest member to be added to the rapidly expanding council.
Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN, NTOCC Executive Director, remarked, “We are pleased to welcome Curaspan to our Partners Council. Managing transitions of care requires not just strong thought leadership, but also product and resource innovation from every sector of the health care industry. Curaspan joins a diverse and dynamic team with which NTOCC leadership and the broader NTOCC community can partner to drive forward-thinking market solutions in all aspects of patient care transitions.”
The Partners Council is a select group of industry partners representing various segments of health care and support industries, and brings together unique experiences, skill sets, products and services that allow NTOCC to further the mission of advancing solutions to challenges involving transitions of care. The Partners Council considers companies in the pharmaceutical, acute care delivery, managed care, retail pharmacy, medical device manufacturing, health care service and information technology sectors for membership.
“We are very excited to be joining the NTOCC Partners Council,” says Eric Chetwynd, Director of Product Strategy at Curaspan. “Curaspan has been at the forefront of transition management for over 14 years, working with providers across the U.S. to create pragmatic technology and clinical solutions for improving transition management. We look forward to leveraging that experience through collaboration with the other members of NTOCC as we work together to improve the quality of transitions of care for every patient.”
Companies that are invited to join the Partners Council enjoy various avenues for collaboration and dialogue within the NTOCC community, the ability to work directly with industry peers in crafting strategies and solutions to improve patient transitions, and enhanced opportunities to partner directly with NTOCC in exploring TOC solutions. For additional information, CLICK HERE.
About the National Transition of Care Coalition
The National Transitions of Care Coalition is a 501(c)(4) dedicated to addressing a serious U.S. healthcare 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. Working in conjunction with 450 Associate Member organizations and over 4,000 individual professional subscribers, NTOCC has developed tools and resources made available to everyone in the healthcare industry including providers, payors, patients and consumers.
About Curaspan
Curaspan, the leading provider of patient-transition solutions, helps the top healthcare providers nationwide manage all aspects of transition planning. Curaspan’s secure Web-based tools allow providers to automate, collaborate and optimize clinical and financial outcomes throughout the patient-transition process. Interoperable with all HIS, it is the foundation for initiatives like ACOs, HIEs, value-based purchasing and other evolving models of care and reimbursement. Founded in 1999, Curaspan headquarters are in Newton, Mass. For more information, visit www.curaspan.com.
. Most of these resources are available free of charge and have been accessed extensively within the United States and globally.