Background: Communication between referring Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities and home health care agencies in the community is imperative for comprehensive care for Veterans. However, to date little is known about communication during care transitions from VHA facilities to home health care. The purpose of the present study is to conduct a preliminary exploratory survey [...]

Background: High-quality medication reconciliation is key to reducing medication errors during care transitions. This concept is of paramount importance to Veterans living in rural areas due to less access to clinical pharmacy services. We adapted MARQUIS (Multicenter Medication Reconciliation Quality Improvement Study), in which hospitalists mentored teams in implementation of best practices for inpatient medication [...]

Background: Rural areas are disproportionately affected by physician shortages, and small rural hospitals in particular struggle to staff acute medicine services 24/7. Telehospitalist models are emerging as an alternative to provide inpatient medicine services in rural settings. In a 2018 needs assessment of rural Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals, 60% percent reported being short on [...]