Partnerships in Transitions: Acute Care to Skilled Nursing Facility

Mae L Dizon¹, Ruth Zaltsmann, Cheryl Reinking

• ¹Mae L. Dizon, DNP, RN, NP, ANP-BC, is an adult nurse practitioner who has mainly focused on geriatrics. She is the nurse practitioner and coordinator for El Camino Hospital's NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) Program that aims to improve the care provided to older adults. In addition to this, Mae has been integral in the implementation of the Transitions of Care Program, concentrating on reducing avoidable readmissions for skilled nursing facilities. Ruth Zaltsmann, MS, RN, was an emergency department nurse before joining El Camino Hospital as a program manager to develop, implement, and manage the Transitions of Care Program. In addition, Ruth has spoken at many conferences and webinars focused on hospital transitions work, preventing readmissions, collaborative work within the health care environment, and Medicare's Bundle Payment Care Improvement Initiative (BPCI). Ruth currently serves as a BPCI Clinical Program Manager for Dignity Health and provides consulting services on the topic of health care changes to hospitals and physician groups in San Francisco, CA. Cheryl Reinking, MS, RN, NEA-BC, is currently the Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. Cheryl oversees 24 nursing departments as well as laboratory, pharmacy, respiratory care, and clinical nutrition. Cheryl has been in this role since 2013. Cheryl has served El Camino Hospital for the past 20 years in multiple roles including Vice Chief of Clinical Operations, Director, and Manager. In addition, Cheryl is a member of the Magnet committee, which was instrumental in assisting the hospital in achieving Magnet status in 2005, 2010, and a third designation on 2013. Cheryl was recipient of the Silicon Valley Women of Influence Award in 2013.