Transitional Liver Clinic to reduce liver disease readmissions
The Transitional Liver Clinic (TLC): Reducing Liver Disease Readmission
A post-hospital program that connects people with advanced liver disease, especially alcoholic hepatitis, to a specialized provider by phone and telehealth or clinic visits to help prevent early readmissions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Indiana University Indianapolis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Indianapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11237572 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you've been hospitalized with cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis, this program contacts you by phone within two days of discharge and schedules a face-to-face or video visit within 7–14 days with a specialized advanced practice provider. During those contacts the provider will review and simplify your medications, teach you about warning signs like increased belly fluid or confusion, and arrange needed tests or community supports. The team focuses on common problems in advanced liver disease—ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and gastrointestinal bleeding—to prevent mistakes after you leave the hospital. Care is delivered through a mix of telehealth and clinic visits and links you to local resources to help keep you out of the hospital.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults recently discharged from the hospital with cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis who had complications such as ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, or gastrointestinal bleeding.
Not a fit: Patients without a recent hospitalization, those with mild liver disease not needing specialized follow-up, or people unable to take part in follow-up visits or telehealth may not receive direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could lower early hospital readmissions and reduce complications for people with advanced liver disease.
How similar studies have performed: Transitional care programs have improved outcomes in conditions like heart failure, but similar APP-led programs for advanced liver disease are relatively new and have limited published results.
Where this research is happening
Indianapolis, United States
- Indiana University Indianapolis — Indianapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Orman, Eric — Indiana University Indianapolis
- Study coordinator: Orman, Eric
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.