In elderly patients, hip injuries can be especially dangerous. With age comes a higher risk of complication, and patients often need treatment beyond surgery.

And with the number of patients rising thanks to an aging population, new emergency department, facility expansion, and growing trauma program, coordination becomes even more important to effective treatment.

That's why we launched the Geriatric Hip Fracture Program at University of Colorado Hospital. Our orthopedic traumatologists work with a comprehensive team of health care professionals—nutritionists, physical therapists, geriatricians, social workers, and more—to provide state-of-the-art care and get patients back to a normal life.

The culmination of a multi-year effort, the program was developed in partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety, and Efficiency on campus and represents a collaboration between the Department of Orthopedics, the Department of Medicine (including hospital medicine and endocrinology), 8W nursing staff, and numerous other disciplines, from pharmacy to physical and occupational therapy to social work and case management.