National Program to Improve the Quality of Geriatric Surgical Patient Care Announced by American Col
The American College of Surgeons (ACS), in partnership with the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF), announced it will conduct a four-year initiative that will lead to improved care of older surgical patients through a standards and verification program for hospitals. The respective leaders for this initiative are pioneers in the field of geriatric surgery and long-time Hartford grantees, Clifford Y. Ko, MD, FACS, Director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, and Ronnie Rosenthal, MD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Geriatric Surgery Task Force and chief of surgery at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. The grant amount awarded by JAHF for the program is $2.9 million.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS), in partnership with the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF), announced it will conduct a four-year initiative that will lead to improved care of older surgical patients through a standards and verification program for hospitals. The respective leaders for this initiative are pioneers in the field of geriatric surgery and long-time Hartford grantees, Clifford Y. Ko, MD, FACS, Director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, and Ronnie Rosenthal, MD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Geriatric Surgery Task Force and chief of surgery at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. The grant amount awarded by JAHF for the program is $2.9 million.
"More than ever, 80, 90, and even 100-year-olds are undergoing surgery and that trend will only grow. This important partnership between the John A. Hartford Foundation and the American College of Surgeons to develop standards and then verify that hospitals can deliver optimal geriatric surgical care will save lives, improve outcomes, and reduce harm for older adults across the country," said Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President, the John A. Hartford Foundation.
Quality geriatric surgical care is an area of prime consideration to the ACS. In 2012, ACS published joint guidelines in partnership with the American Geriatrics Society in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons for the perioperative care of the nation’s elderly patients. 2 These guidelines apply to every surgical patient 65 years and older as defined by Medicare regulations.
“The ACS has a long and successful track record of helping hospitals build an infrastructure for surgical quality improvement,” said Christopher A. Langston, PhD, Program Director at the John A. Hartford Foundation. “This new verification program will make it easier for hospitals and health systems to focus on doing their best for the large and vulnerable patient population of older adults – and receive public credit for providing them with the right kind of care.”
To read the full press release, click here.
