Team Approach to Managing Medical Care for the Elderly

Over a decade ago, geriatricians at a Milwaukee hospital developed a model for improving the care of the elderly by creating a unit specifically designed for their health care needs. The unit, known as “Acute Care for the Elderly” (ACE), is a laboratory of sorts that has led to the development of software now used by a number of other hospitals. The software, known as the ACE Tracker, helps ensure that physicians, nurses, and others adhere to basic principles for caring for elderly patients. It pulls information every 15 minutes from electronic health records to provide a snapshot of the potential risks for patients aged 65 and older, enabling teams to identify and monitor patients at greater risk.