How Can Healthcare Design Support Efforts To Improve Care For Seniors?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a new Age Friendly Hospital Measure that aims to improve the care and treatment outcomes of older adult patients.
The effort, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025, focuses on five domains related to clinical care, including eliciting patient healthcare goals, responsible medication management, frailty screening and intervention, social vulnerability (such as social isolation, economic insecurity, ageism, etc.), and age-friendly care leadership.
The program applies to all hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, which will need to report their compliance or face penalties.
“The creation of the Age Friendly Hospital Measure represents a significant step forward in recognizing the unique needs of older patients,” Dr. Patricia L. Turner, executive director and CEO of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), said in a release.
ACS led the development of the measure with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the American College of Emergency Physicians, with support from the John A. Hartford Foundation.
The aim of the program is to help hospitals provide high-quality, patient-centered care for older adults and evaluate facilities’ progress toward improving care for patients aged 65 and older across a variety of settings, including hospital wards, operating rooms, and emergency departments, according to ACS.
The concepts of patient-centered care and senior-friendly environments are not new to the healthcare design industry, which has been targeting improvements to the patient experience through lighting strategies, thoughtful materials and furniture selection, and user-friendly building layouts.
As this important work continues, I look forward to seeing how design strategies evolve even further to address the needs of older adults.
I’m also confident that solutions to this and other healthcare challenges—including staffing shortages, rural healthcare needs, technology implementation, and energy efficiency—are on the horizon, driven not only by veteran professionals already committing their talent and project work to this industry but also by the ones just getting started.
For proof, check out Healthcare Design’s 2024 Rising Star Award winners—our largest class to date—featured in the magazine’s upcoming October issue.
This program recognizes the outstanding achievements of professionals working in this sector for fewer than 10 years. Their fresh approaches and drive to impact this industry are a source of inspiration.
I can’t wait to celebrate them during the Healthcare Design Magazine Awards Luncheon at the HCD Conference + Expo in Indianapolis in October. I hope to see you there, too!
