Formal and Informal Relationships Between Nursing Homes and Hospital Systems are Common but do They Improve Care?

The most cited explanation for the fragmentation of America's health care system is the lack of information that flows between health care providers.1‒3 Providers in acute care settings often have little knowledge of the care that occurred prior to hospitalization. Likewise, outpatient workups may occur among an assortment of specialists, each potentially working from their own unique perspective within health care networks that may not communicate redundancy and changes with other members of the health care team.