Episode Details

In 2019, the American College of Surgeons launched the Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program to provide evidence-based standards hospitals could adopt to optimize surgical care for older adults. As a surgical resident, I didn't think much about what that meant until I rotated through a GSV-verified hospital and gained firsthand experience. The structure built into the EMR prompted me to go beyond the usual risks and benefits of surgery and prioritize what matters most to patients, including what they hope surgery will accomplish, before booking an operation. It ultimately changed how I think about and practice caring for older adults as I continue my training.

On this week's episode, we sat down with surgeons Dr. Emily Finlayson and Dr. Aaron Baggs, and geriatrician Dr. Ali Torbati to discuss how the GSV Program came to be, what it takes for a hospital system to earn verification, and how it's shaping the way surgeons and multidisciplinary teams care for older adult patients.

Today's topics included:

• What is the history of the ACS GSV Program? Why should hospital systems participate?

• How do you successfully implement a GSV Program?

• What are the levels of verification, including the new Age-Friendly level?

• How does GSV align with the CMS Age Friendly Hospital Measures?

• How has care for older adults changed after GSV implementation?

This episode builds on a previous GeriPal podcast on the Pre-Operative Geri Assessment with Drs. Vicky Tang and Houman Javedan:
https://geripal.org/pre-operative-geri-assessment-vicky-tang-and-houman-javedan/

Learn more about GSV through the links below:

• ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/accreditation-and-verification/geriatric-surgery-verification/

• GSV Program Standards, including the Age-Friendly level: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/accreditation-and-verification/geriatric-surgery-verification/standards/

• Making a Financial Case for the Geriatric Surgery Verification: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11191881/

Rachel Borthwell