Prime Healthcare Hospitals Among the First to Receive Systemwide Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation

Only 14 Health Systems nationwide received this designation

ONTARIO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prime Healthcare was selected to receive a special designation from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) for their dedication to geriatric-focused emergency care. They are one of only 14 health systems in the country to receive this new elite level of Health System Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation. Prime Healthcare currently has 18 geriatric-accredited emergency departments across the country. The accreditation recognizes Prime’s commitment to providing a high standard of care that meets the unique healthcare needs of older adults.

“Over the past four years, Prime Healthcare achieved Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) for 18 out of 45 emergency departments in your health network. This is no small feat and an achievement that should be celebrated and acknowledged. ACEP recently implemented 'Health System GED Accreditation,' a special recognition level of accreditation for those systems that are positioned as senior-friendly and have achieved this unique geriatric accolade for its system strategy of care,” said Nicole Tidwell, Senior Accreditation Program Manager, ACEP.

The concept of geriatric emergency departments has advanced in the last ten years. In 2014, ACEP along with the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Emergency Nurses Association and American Geriatrics Society, released geriatric emergency department (ED) guidelines that recommend measures ranging from adding geriatric-friendly equipment and specialized staff, to more routine screening for delirium, dementia and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities. These guidelines provide the foundation for the geriatric emergency department accreditation.

“Older adults visit emergency departments more frequently than other age groups and often manage multiple chronic conditions,” said Mark Rosenberg, DO, MBA, FACEP, FAAHPM, immediate past president of ACEP. “When you add the physical, mental, or social challenges frequently faced by our veterans to that equation it is easy to see that one size does not fit all—a specialized approach to emergency care for older Veterans can improve treatment and help our heroes lead healthier lives.”

Prime hospitals with Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation include:

• Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, San Diego, California
• Chino Valley Medical Center, Chino, California
• Dallas Regional Medical Center, Mesquite, Texas
• Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center, Garden Grove, California
• Huntington Beach Hospital, Huntington Beach, California
• Mission Regional Medical Center, Mission, Texas
• Montclair Hospital Medical Center, Montclair, California
• Pampa Regional Medical Center, Pampa, Texas
• Riverview Regional Medical Center, Gadsden, Alabama
• Saint Clare’s Denville Hospital, Denville, New Jersey
• Saint Clare’s Hospital Dover, Dover, New Jersey
• Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Reno, Nevada
• San Dimas Community Hospital, San Dimas, California
• St. Joseph Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri
• St. Mary’s General Hospital, Passaic, New Jersey
• St. Mary’s Medical Center, Blue Springs, Missouri
• Suburban Community Hospital, East Norriton, Pennsylvania
• St. Francis Medical Center, Lynwood, California

Prime Healthcare voluntarily participated in the accreditation program, and these 18 hospitals met specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target. To receive accreditation, an ED must incorporate best practices for geriatric care, including:

• Ensuring physicians and nurses have all received geriatric-focused education specific to ED care.
• Providing a standardized approach to care, including offerings such as warm blankets, reading glasses, hearing amplifiers, non-slip flooring, specialized lighting – all amenities that address common geriatric issues.
• Ensuring optimal transitions of care from the ED to other settings (inpatient, home, community-based care, rehabilitation, long-term care) by developing preferred post-acute networks at each hospital.
• Promoting geriatric-focused quality improvement and enhancements of the physical environment and supplies.

“We are incredibly proud of Prime Healthcare being one of only 14 health systems in the nation to be recognized for Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditations,” Sunny Bhatia, MD, Prime Healthcare Region I CEO and Corporate Chief Medical Officer. “Prime continues to be focused on the highest standards of care for our community’s older citizens across the nation.”

About Prime Healthcare

As an award-winning health system headquartered in Ontario, California, operating 45 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations in 14 states, Prime Healthcare provides more than 2.6 million patient visits annually. It is one of the nation’s leading health systems with nearly 50,000 employees and physicians. Fourteen of the Prime Healthcare hospitals are members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity.

To learn more, please visit https://www.primehealthcare.com/.

About the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the national medical society representing emergency medicine. Through continuing education, research, public education, and advocacy, ACEP advances emergency care on behalf of its 40,000 emergency physician members, and the more than 150 million Americans they treat on an annual basis.

For more information, visit www.acep.org and www.emergencyphysicians.org.

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