Creating High-value Care for Seniors Through Geriatric Emergency Department Partnerships

Being admitted to the hospital can be a disruptive and uncomfortable experience, especially for our aging patients. It is not uncommon for older patients to leave the hospital less functional and more cognitively impaired than when they entered the hospital. Geriatric emergency departments (GEDs) are specially designed to provide geriatric-specific emergency care. While more than 60 percent of older adults are admitted to the hospital through an emergency department, a specialized Geriatric Emergency Department can help aging patients transition to the most appropriate care. Studies have found that older patients who go to a GED are less likely to be admitted to the hospital or return to the emergency department within 30 days.

Recognizing the synergistic potential for a value-based care organization and a GED to work together to provide the best care for seniors, West Health Institute created a toolkit to facilitate partnerships between these two types of organizations. In together with the Institute for Advancing Health Value, pilot programs were organized, and the findings were detailed in the issue brief below as well as a webinar, which can be viewed here.