Registered nurse Kelly Carter did not know what she was going to see after entering a modest Orange County home. She actually saw her patient in her 90s who was troubled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a complex lung condition that makes it difficult to breathe.

It was only a few days the woman was outside the hospital and she had gained an unhealthy amount of weight. She was also not able to take her medicines properly and her story was very unfortunate.

“After even high-risk patients are discharged from hospitals, there is often little to no action on the other end. The patients can be left to fend for themselves in the recovery process, and soon they end up back in the emergency room”, said Carter.

The Affordable Care Act has now opened doors for enter transitional care, a new category of health care under Medicare.

Newport Beach-based Global Transitional Care is where Carter works as chief nursing officer. She became the nation’s first Medicare-approved, third-party transitional care provider in February. Patients started to come in the facility this month.

CEO Rani Khetarpal, whose background is in pharmaceuticals, said they have made every effort to ensure that access to care is available to many who will recover more effectively in a home setting.

Vulnerable patients are the target of transitional care to help them recover at home after they had spent time in the hospital or another inpatient medical setting. This will help them significantly avoid unnecessary trips to hospital.