ACS Secures Quality and Advocacy Win with New Age Friendly Hospital Measure

Last week, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a quality measure that helps optimize the care of older patients using a holistic approach. The Age Friendly Hospital Measure, which is part of the CMS Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program that takes effect January 1, was developed by the ACS in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the American College of Emergency Physicians, with support from The John A. Hartford Foundation.

The evidence-based, programmatic measure follows a program of care and is designed to incentivize and support hospitals as they address the complexities of caring for the medical, physiological, and psychosocial needs of older patients that are often inadequately addressed by the current healthcare infrastructure.

The measure is modeled after ACS Quality Programs, including the Geriatric Surgery Verification Program, which have demonstrably improved patient care, while also saving time and resources, leading to better patient goal attainment and an improved overall bottom line for care systems. The Age Friendly Hospital Measure is a “focused-composite” metric that comprises a handful of structural metrics (such as staffing and roles specific to geriatrics), process metrics (such as frailty assessments and delirium screening), and outcomes focused on activities that are essential for effective care in this demographic. 

The inclusion of the Age Friendly Hospital Measure represents a victory for surgeons and is yet another example of how the ACS continues to fight for members, the profession, and surgical patients.

Learn more about how an ACS Quality Program can help your institution comply with the new measure to meet regulatory requirements.