Continuum of Care

The United States health care system can be somewhat complicated and often have some barriers or limitations to care. The continuum of care is one of the concepts that is applied to prevent the limitations within the system. Continuum of care is defined as: A range of services developed and organized to address the variety of needs individuals have as they age. This concept recognizes and considers the availability and extent of short-term and long-term care systems and services in the community and in institutional settings. Included in the continuum of care are residential alternatives, in-home care, community programs and institutional services. (Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District, 2010) The continuum of care also refers to the use of health care services from birth through death. The continuum of care is comprehensive as it includes patients who uses the services over time. According to Clapp (1993), the continuum of care model includes acute, transitional, long-term and preventive care. Clapp (1993) continues to validate that “An integrated continuum requires active collaboration among local providers in two general groups. The first includes hospitals, nursing homes, retirement communities, physicians and home health services. The second group is social or community-based service.” Health care services are delivered in a myriad of settings and providers. The focus of this essay is on one of the components of health care delivery means of access; that is the Hackensack University Medical Center and the continuum of care.
Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is in the heart of Hackensack, NJ. HUMC a “not-for-profit, tertiary-care, teaching and research hospital” (Hackensack University Medical Center, 2010). Established in 1888 with only 12 beds, it is the largest provider of out-patient and in-patient services in the state of New

References: Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District. (2010). Glossary: Continuum of Care. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from Area Agency on Aging District 8: http://www.areaagency8.org/glossary Clapp, R. (1993). Health care continuum: Nursing Homes: Long Term Care Management . Retrieved March 1, 2010, from MasterFILE Premier database. Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center. (2005). Patient Safety - Quality Improvement. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from Duke University Medical Center: http://patientsafetyed.duhs.duke.edu/module_a/introduction/stakeholders.html Dictionary.com. (2010). Define: Stakeholder. Retrieved March 2, 2010 , from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stakeholder Hackensack University Medical Center. (2010). Retrieved March 1, 2010, from http://www.humc.com/ Healy, J., & McKee, M. (2001). The Role and Function of Hospitals. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.euro.who.int/document/OBS/HIAC04.pdf