University of Chicago gets $6M health care grant

CHICAGO — The University of Chicago has been awarded a $6.1 million grant to provide better care for Medicare patients.

The grant is among 81 new Health Care Innovation Awards announced Friday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The awards are part of the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration's health care overhaul law.

The University of Chicago will test a model of delivering care that emphasizes an ongoing doctor-patient relationship.

Doctor-led teams of nurses, social workers and medical assistants will provide consistent care to Medicare beneficiaries before, during, and after hospitalizations.

The University of Chicago program plans to train about 26 workers and create 11 jobs.