Network-Wide Inpatient Protocols Enhance Parkinson’s Disease Care

Electronic medical record enhancements support providers and nurses in delivering evidence-based care

January 22, 2026

The Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute has implemented network-wide, evidence-based protocols to enhance care and improve safety for people with Parkinson’s disease. These network-wide protocols are an extension of inpatient Parkinson’s disease care protocols originally developed and implemented at Hackensack University Medical Center, which formed the basis for best-practice recommendations that were issued by the Parkinson’s Foundation and validated through real-world, evidence-based research.

Led by Parkinson’s experts throughout the Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) network, the implementation leveraged the health system’s electronic medical record (EMR) by developing banner flags to alert all providers when there is a history of Parkinson’s and requiring custom ordering of Parkinson’s medications.

Further, the team created a new automated order set in accordance with the Parkinson’s Foundation's inpatient care recommendations. The order set is automatically triggered by a history of Parkinson’s in the EMR and includes warnings about contraindicated medications, as well as suggested protocols to promote mobility and reduce the risk of falls and swallowing-related complications.

“The hospital can be a scary place for people with Parkinson’s disease. Although people with Parkinson’s make up a relatively small percentage of overall hospital admissions, their morbidity and mortality during hospitalization is significantly higher when compared to people without Parkinson’s disease,” said Dana Dolce, AGACNP, BC, Neuromodulation Program Manager, Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute. “Our protocols address the four major factors that contribute to poor outcomes for this vulnerable population, including medication timing, harmful medications, mobility, and dysphagia.”

Ms. Dolce said that since the network-wide implementation, compliance with custom medication ordering has doubled. Order set compliance also greatly increased, and the team is planning to conduct required annual training for providers and nurses to boost compliance even further.

“Our goal was to create a system that is intuitive — not intrusive — to assist our inpatient providers and nurses in caring for patients with Parkinson’s,” said Ms. Dolce. “We want all patients with Parkinson’s disease to feel safe in our hospitals, so we can alleviate the burden of worry for the patient and their loved ones.”

“We believe that everyone with Parkinson's Disease deserves the highest quality care throughout their journey,” said Hooman Azmi, M.D., director of the Division of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, and associate professor of Neurosurgery at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “With the support of the Parkinson's Foundation, we are collaborating with clinical leaders across our network to enhance best-practice care that focuses on timely medication management to avoid complications for patients with Parkinson’s in the emergency department or admitted to a hospital within the HMH network.”

Learn more about innovative neurological care at Hackensack University Medical Center.