Eric A. Coleman, MD, MPH

Eric A. Coleman, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor of Medicine within the Divisions of Health Care Policy and Research and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Coleman is the Director of the Care Transitions Program, aimed at improving quality and safety during times of care “hand-offs”. As a board-certified geriatrician, Dr. Coleman maintains direct patient care responsibility for older adults in ambulatory, acute, and subacute care settings.

Dr. Coleman's research focuses on: (1) enhancing the role of patients and caregivers in improving the quality of their care transitions across acute and post-acute settings; (2) measuring quality of care transitions from the perspective of patients and caregivers; (3) implementing system-level practice improvement interventions and (4) using health information technology to promote safe and effective care transitions.

Our health care system is fragmented and siloed. As a result, patients and family caregivers often find themselves performing a significant amount of their own care coordination. While we need to repair what is broken about the health care system, our most immediate need is to support patients and families during the vulnerable time of care transitions.

Despite being anxious, sleep deprived, and adjusting to new temporary or permanent changes in health status, patients are able to both learn and apply new self-care skills to help them assert a more active role during care transitions.