Skip to main content

Aurora chosen for national senior care project

Resource type: News

The Business Journal of Milwaukee | [ View Original Source (opens in new window) ]

Aurora Health Care was one of six sites chosen by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University to participate in a program to shape health care for senior citizens nationwide.



Through the Medicare Innovations Collaborative, Aurora Health Care will provide technical expertise to other health care providers that want to develop an Acute Care for Elders program.


In turn, Aurora hopes to tap into other providers’ expertise in palliative care and to add a program known as the Hospital Elder Life Program, or HELP, designed for patients who are at risk for developing delirium.


The Acute Care for the Elderly concept was developed in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. The ACE program was put in place at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee in September 2000, and later was expanded to 11 Aurora hospitals, improving outcomes for older patients throughout eastern Wisconsin.


Dr. Albert Siu, a professor and chairman of Geriatrics and Adult Development at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, said Aurora was selected because of its track record of developing successful programs for seniors.


In addition to Aurora, the other sites chosen to participate in the Medicare Innovations Collaborative are: Carolinas Health Care Systems/Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy, Charlotte, N.C.; Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, N.Y.; Geisinger Health Systems, Danville, Pa.; Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.; and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio. The project is being funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies.


“It’s an honor to be included in this group of medical schools and health systems that are recognized for best practices in geriatric medicine,” Dr. Michael Malone, medical director of Aurora senior services said in a statement. “We’ve been working the last 30 years to develop specialized care for seniors, and we look forward to sharing what we’ve learned.


© American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.