Veterans Affairs Announcement: Accredited Geriatric Emergency Departments Continue to Grow within VA Hospitals
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that the majority of its emergency departments have earned Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation status from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
The VA began the Geriatric Emergency Department (GED) initiative in partnership with ACEP, the West Health Institute and JAHF, along with the the Indiana Institute of Medical Research (IIMR), one of VA’s internal nonprofit partners.
The VA has announced that 60 of its 111 emergency departments have earned accreditation and another 11 departments are on track to earn the designation in coming months. The VA has plans to expand the program to over the next three years. The Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative (GEDC) hosts a resource hub and provides training for the initiative.
In the Geriatric Emergency Department care model, interdisciplinary teams engage in more than two dozen best practices covering triage, screening, evaluation, treatment, discharge, the physical environment and surroundings, and the coordination of essential community social and health services after discharge. Within the VA, GEDs have seen improvements in care, fewer instances of polypharmacy, and more follow-up with primary care services following a visit.
Read the press release.
Learn more about GEDA.
Learn more about the VA's emergency department accreditation.
Learn more about GEDC.
Learn more about JAHF's co-support of GEDA.
