Pittsburgh-based UPMC and the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network No. 4, or VA Healthcare–VISN 4, are expanding a nurse liaison program that improves health outcomes and care for veterans.
The VA–UPMC community nurse liaison program offers care coordination, better hospital admission and discharge planning, improves inpatient experience, and coordinates continued care after discharge, according to a Sept. 16 system news release.
The program will be expanded to eight more UPMC hospitals — UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Montefiore, and UPMC Passavant in Pittsburgh, UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa., UPMC Harrisburg, Pa., UPMC Community Osteopathic in Harrisburg, Pa., UPMC West Shore in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and UPMC Altoona, Pa. These hospitals will work with their local VA medical centers to provide care.
"This statewide rollout is an exciting expansion that will benefit countless veterans and help them more easily navigate the healthcare system to ensure they get the right care and utilize their VA benefits fully," Timothy Liezert, network director of VA Healthcare–VISN 4, said in the news release.
The first-of-its-kind program first launched at three UPMC hospitals in August 2022. Over two years, the program identified veterans who present to a non-VA hospital on the same day, increased the number of inpatient transfers to VA inpatient units, decreased length of stay and improved collaboration with patient aligned care teams.