Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center’s Geriatric Surgery Verification Program recognized for excellence

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
At the Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center, geriatric patients have an integrated team of health care providers who care for their physical, spiritual and emotional needs.
The hospital recently received the Level 1 – Comprehensive Excellence Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The program uses evidence-based standards to help improve surgical care and outcomes for patients 75 years and older.
Kaiser Permanente Antioch is the 12th hospital in the United States to receive this verification. Kaiser Permanente Northern California has four other hospitals that have achieved this designation: Richmond, Walnut Creek, Oakland and Fresno. The Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center was one of the nation’s first hospitals to achieve verification in 2021.
“The American College of Surgeons has a long history of encouraging the use of evidence-based best practices to improve care of patients who need surgery,” said Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center Physician in Chief Sharon Mowat, MD. “Our team has invested a tremendous amount of time and effort into improving our patients’ care before and after surgeries.”
Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are living longer than any generation before them. By the year 2050, senior citizens will represent 22% of the U.S. population. Anita Chiu, MD, serves dual roles as Kaiser Permanente Antioch’s geriatric surgery director and one of three Northern California geriatric surgery physician leads.
“Frail, older individuals are more likely to have complications, and they may have a different outlook on what matters most to them after a surgery,” she said. “The Geriatric Surgery Verification Program was designed to make the communication between surgeons and patients more focused on the goals of the individual.”
Geriatric-friendly patient rooms support elderly patients with their recovery. For example, special windows help them to tell the difference between day and night. Large clocks, non-slip floors, contrasting wall and floor colors, and handrails also help patients while they recover. Proper nutrition and hydration are extremely important, so the geriatric care team makes sure that patients are properly nourished before and after their surgeries.
A dedicated health care team
Chiu runs the hospital’s program with Geriatric Surgery Coordinator Ali Gratny, RN, and Regional Physician Lead Hemant Keny, MD.
“Older adults are a special population with unique and often complex needs – physiologically and socially,” Keny said. “Sometimes, the best advances in geriatric health care involve the warmth of human connection and interdisciplinary teamwork.”
Chiu was recognized as a national expert at implementing geriatric surgery quality programs, and she was asked by the ACS to join the GSV Education and Informatics Task Force. Keny was asked to join the GSV Leadership Committee.
For every surgery involving an elderly patient, a multi-disciplinary team discuss how the surgery will affect the patient’s overall quality of life. Patients undergoing elective surgeries are evaluated by geriatricians. High-risk patients are reviewed by a multi-specialty team of physicians who discuss vulnerabilities and make recommendations. Final decisions are made by patients and their families.
“The Senior Surgical Care Program at Kaiser Permanente is special because it breaks down some of the traditional silos of health care in order to provide our patients with the very best patient-centered care,” said Gratny, the hospital’s geriatric surgery coordinator. “We work together to identify the strengths of the patient and their support system, as well as their vulnerabilities. This holistic approach to health care is uniquely valuable.”
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