CASE STUDY

Improving Geriatric Emergency Care: Better Outcomes and ROI for Health Systems

Emergency departments often struggle to meet the specialized needs of older adults, who face higher risks of falls, delirium, medical complications, and poor care transitions. This population accounts for over 20% of emergency department visits annually, with $17 billion spent on avoidable readmissions among older patients.

Learn how Vituity’s Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) initiative enhanced clinical outcomes while providing a significant ROI for health systems.

Published February 13, 2025

Challenge

Meeting the Unique Care Needs of Older Adults

Providing high-quality emergency care to geriatric patients requires addressing specific, often overlooked challenges:

Undiagnosed Issues: Conditions such as falls, delirium, and cognitive impairments are frequently missed, leading to worse outcomes.
Medical Complications: Older adults experience higher rates of hospital-acquired conditions and treatment-related complications.
Ineffective Care Transitions: Poor coordination between EDs and outpatient services results in fragmented care and unnecessary readmissions.

Solution

A Learning Collaborative to Drive GEDA Accreditation

In April 2024, Vituity partnered with West Health to create a learning collaborative to guide emergency department teams through the accreditation process. Subject matter expertise and content development support were also provided by the Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative and ACEP. The initiative included longitudinal coaching, training sessions, and access to a robust resource portal. Twenty-two Vituity departments across 10 states participated.

The American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) GEDA program establishes a framework for elder-friendly emergency department care, focusing on:

Specialized care processes, including fall prevention and minimal restraint use.
Interdisciplinary approaches, engaging physical therapists, social workers, and pharmacists.
Improved transitions of care, connecting patients to community resources.
Enhanced patient environments, incorporating mobility aids and nourishment.

Results

Transformational Impact on Geriatric Care

Accreditation Milestones

By the end of 2024, 11 Vituity emergency departments across seven states achieved or advanced their GEDA accreditation, with 10 more set to do so in 2025.

Increased Utilization of Advanced Care Planning (ACP)

Participating sites saw a 2.5-fold increase in ACP discussions. This not only improved patient outcomes, it also generated significant ROI as ACP is a billable service.

Cultural Transformation

Providers adopted more empathetic, specialized approaches to geriatric care, reducing unnecessary admissions and improving patient experiences.

Success Spotlight:

University Medical Center of El Paso – Northeast

UMC Northeast reduced the percentage of older patients waiting over 8 hours without nourishment by 50% and achieved bronze-level accreditation, with plans to pursue silver.

Updated policies to better support older patients.

Enhanced environments with mobility aids, nourishment options, and volunteer rounding.

Improved care transitions by connecting patients with geriatricians at UMC’s outpatient clinics.

Conclusion

Setting a New Standard for Geriatric Emergency Care

This collaborative demonstrates the power of prioritizing older adults' unique needs. By offering new continuing education opportunities in geriatrics and launching a second GEDA collaborative in 2025, Vituity and West Health continue to lead the way in transforming geriatric emergency care nationwide.

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