Center for Technology and Aging Adds Care Transitions and Medication Optimization Resources to “ADOPT Toolkit©”

OAKLAND, Calif. – February, 28, 2013 – The Center for Technology and Aging (CTA)

announced today the availability of new tools to help health care organizations design and

implement technology-enabled health care programs for care transitions and medication

optimization. The online tools are part of the recently launched ADOPT (Accelerate the

Diffusion of Proven Technologies) Toolkit© website: http://toolkit.techandaging.org/.

“Connected health technologies that improve management of transitional care and medication

optimization dramatically improve the health and well-being of persons with chronic disease

or functional impairments, as well helping the nation avoid billions of dollars in costly hospital

readmissions and other unnecessary health care expenses,” said David Lindeman, PhD,

Director of the Center for Technology and Aging.

The ADOPT Toolkit includes free, practical resources that guide hospitals, health systems,

aging services organizations and other providers through the technology adoption phases:

planning, development, implementation, and evaluation. Toolkit resources are organized

into eight workstreams that simplify technology deployment steps: program planning,

technology management, patient management, clinical management, financial management,

administration, marketing, and finally, evaluation and performance improvement.

“These new ‘how to’ tools reflect our broad research, advisory services experience, and

successful technology demonstration programs,” said Lindeman. “Whether an organization is

brand new to implementing technology-enabled programs, building off of successful programs,

or fine tuning current programs, the ADOPT Toolkit offers tested mechanisms that improve and

expand providers’ capacity for adopting technologies.”

The online Toolkit already includes resources for remote patient monitoring (RPM) and a fourth

area, mobile health solutions, will be added later this year.

"This web site is comprehensive and right on point, it should be very helpful to health plans,

providers, community clinics and public health agencies, as well as community-based

organizations," said Ilia Rolón, Manager of Strategic Operations at CalOptima.

Care transition tools were developed in collaboration with numerous health care programs,

including five state Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) that are part of an

Administration on Aging (AoA) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiative

to help individuals manage their long-term care support services. Indiana and Texas focused on

care transitions program planning and evaluation. California, Rhode Island, and Washington

expanded the use of personal health record technologies.

Medication optimization tools were developed in collaboration with ten organizations that

implemented projects ranging from the use of pill dispensers to pharmacy tracking programs.

According to a national report by NEHI, medication non-adherence costs the nation an

estimated $290 billion or more than 10 percent of all US healthcare spending. Support for the

development of the ADOPT Toolkit was provided by The SCAN Foundation, the Gordon Betty

Moore Foundation, the California HealthCare Foundation, and The Commonwealth Fund.

About Us

The Center for Technology and Aging (www.techandaging.org) is a national resource center

that supports the adoption of technology-enabled care for older adults that is patient-centered,

coordinated, efficient, and effective. Through the ADOPT Toolkit and associated technical

and operational advisory/consulting services, CTA enables health care providers, aging

services organizations, payers, and policy makers to accelerate the implementation of proven

technologies. A Public Health Institute center of excellence, CTA is located in Oakland, Calif.

For further information, please contact:

Valerie Steinmetz, Program Director

vsteinmetz@techandaging.org