When seniors are admitted to a hospital under “observation status,’’ it’s confusing for the patient and concerning for the hospital and physician (“Patients unfairly pay for Medicare’s three-day rule,’’ Editorial, Aug. 15).

However, not every senior who goes to the hospital needs to be admitted. Older patients are particularly vulnerable to a host of infections and disorders, which then lead to even more days in hospital care.

The good news is that we’re making progress. A Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program called the skilled nursing facility three-day waiver, which is being piloted by Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and partners Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Atrius Health, has shown that observation care can be reduced substantially while improving seniors’ health and overall quality of life. And it reduces seniors’ health care costs.

Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, with its partners, has helped nearly 200 senior patients avoid observation care in acute-care hospitals in just the first 18 months of this program. These seniors were diverted to more appropriate care sites, under personalized care plans.

In the coming decades, an unprecedented number of seniors will need more services. We are committed to leveraging innovative partnerships and the entire continuum of care on behalf of our elders to improve their quality of life today and in the future.

Mary Moscato, president

Hebrew SeniorLife Health Care Services

and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center

Boston