Unity Hospital is the first in the nation to achieve “Level 1 — Comprehensive Excellence” verification status from the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program (ACS GSV).
This recognizes the hospital’s dedication to providing optimal care for its older adult patients.
The GSV program in 2019 introduced 30 new surgical standards designed to systematically improve surgical care and outcomes for aging adults. By identifying geriatric surgery patients at higher risk of delirium, functional decline and other complications, these standards help patients get home sooner and in better shape.
“We have created a new standard of care at Unity, a better way of approaching the individual needs of the community,” said physician Matt Schiralli, director of the geriatric program and Rochester Regional Health’s chief of surgery, eastern region. “By assessing preoperative risks, we are able to provide anticipatory care that is tailored to a patient to help them meet their individual goals of surgery.”
Unity Hospital was one of eight hospitals nationwide to pilot the program that helped develop the ACS standards. After the final standards were released, Unity was the first hospital to complete the process and underwent an extensive site visit by an ACS team who reviewed the hospital’s structure, process, and clinical outcomes data. Unity is the first to achieve this status by demonstrating the ACS GSV standards are verified across one or more surgical specialties, and reach 50% or more of their hospital’s total population of eligible surgical patients aged 75 years or older.
“This unprecedented achievement is another reflection of our team’s commitment to patient-centered care and the culture of collaboration and teamwork at Unity Hospital”, said physician Manuel Matos, chief medical officer of Unity Hospital. “We are thankful and proud of the large interdisciplinary team that implemented these standards even while grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Photo: Members of Unity Hospital involved in the getting the “Level 1 — Comprehensive Excellence” verification status from the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program (ACS GSV). The recognition means a higher level of care to older patient adults.