United Hospital Fund: Next Step in Care¶
Next Step in Care is a United Hospital Fund program that provides easy-to-use guides to help family caregivers and health care providers work together to plan and implement safe and smooth transitions for chronically or seriously ill patients.1 Transitions include moves between care settings such as hospital to home, rehabilitation facilities, or the start or end of home care agency services.1
Next Step in Care materials emphasize careful planning, clear communication, and ongoing care coordination.1 The program offers guides for family caregivers and separate guides for health care providers, plus guides for family caregivers translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Russian.1 Guide topics for family caregivers include short-term rehabilitation services and electronic organizers, monitors, sensors, and apps as caregiving tools.1
United Hospital Fund has prepared guides to the CARE Act for patients and caregivers explaining what they can expect to be asked by hospital staff and what discharge instructions they are entitled to receive.1 New York and over 30 other states have passed versions of the CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record, and Enable) Act to require hospitals to include family caregivers in discharge planning and give them post-discharge training; the caregiver guide cited here covers New York State's law specifically, so caregivers in other states should confirm their own state's requirements.1
Caregivers can reach the program by email at [email protected].1
United Hospital Fund: Next Step in Care addresses navigation by giving family caregivers structured guides for coordinating care transitions with hospitals, rehab facilities, and home care agencies.