Next Step in Care provides easy-to-use guides to help family caregivers and health care providers work closely together to plan and implement safe and smooth transitions for chronically or seriously ill patients.

Transitions are moves between care settings, for example, hospital to home or rehab facility, or the start or end of home care agency services. Because transitions are often rushed, miscommunication and errors can occur.

Next Step in Care materials emphasize careful planning, clear communication, and ongoing care coordination.

View Next Step in Care on your smart phone or other mobile device. See the easy instructional video here.

What Is a Hospitalist? A Guide for Family Caregivers

This new guide addresses a relatively recent development in the health care world—the introduction of the “hospitalist” as a care leader during hospitalizations. Learn about who hospitalists are, why community doctors may not follow patients during their hospital care, and how family caregivers (and patients) can better work with this new field of doctors.

Just Added: One-Pagers on Discharge for Health Care Providers

Based on recent feedback from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies, Next Step in Care has developed two one-pagers to give health care providers a quick reference in working with family caregivers regarding discharge:

• Preparing Family Caregivers for the Transition to Home: Elements for Health Care Providers
• When Home Care Ends: What Then? Elements for Home Care Providers

New Medication Management Videos

Next Step in Care has collaborated with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to produce a series of podcasts on medication management for family caregivers and health care providers. Medication management is not easy, and these videos can help.