The Durham VA Health Care System has attained national verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program.
Older adults have distinct physical and social vulnerabilities, as well as unique goals for their care, that warrant a more thorough and individualized approach to surgery. The GSV program improves surgical care and outcomes for older adults by promoting comprehensive patient- and family-centered care, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and communication, and facilitating evidence-based practices.
The program focuses on the overall health and treatment goals of older adults, emphasizing the importance of thorough evaluations before surgery, improved treatment plans, and highlights the significance of discharge and postoperative care plans to ensure continuous care throughout the surgical journey.
“The GSV Program helps us deliver excellent surgical care to our older Veterans; our leadership and our village of committed members from all disciplines have made it possible,” says Dr. Sandhya Lagoo-Deenadayalan, Associate Chief of Staff, Surgical Services, and Professor of Surgery in the Duke Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery.
Her colleagues, Dan “Trey” Blazer III, the Surgical Director of the GSV Program and Professor of Surgery in the Duke Division of Surgical Oncology; Dr. Mamata Yanamadala, the Medical Director of the Program; and Dr. Shelley McDonald, Director of the Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) Program agree. Other team members include Dr. Atilio Barbeito, Chief of Anesthesiology, Dr. Letha Joseph and Ms. Deni Kois, Program managers of the POSH Program and Ms. Susan Korucubasi, the VASQIP lead.
The VA-POSH Clinic is a robust program that provides the infrastructure and foundation for the interdisciplinary team of the Durham VA Health Care System GSV Program. The effort and strength of this dedicated team has fostered a culture change and shows how buy-in for optimal care of older surgical patents ensures geriatric vulnerabilities are assessed and interventions offered to improve outcomes after surgery.
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As a verified geriatric surgery facility, DVAHCS has met the standards as defined in the Optimal Resources for Geriatric Surgery manual, which help ensure the most effective use of surgical care for a vulnerable aging population. These standards are evidence-based and define resources and processes that hospitals must have in place to perform operations effectively, efficiently, and safely for older adults. The standards are also patient-centered so hospitals can always prioritize what matters most to individual patients regarding their needs and treatment goals. The GSV program has been shown to reduce incidents of delirium and shorten the average length of stay in the hospital after an operation.
Durham VAHCS also becomes an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies a hospital’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step. The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know that Durham VA HCS is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement and has been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality.
"ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, the Durham VA Health Care System has shown a commitment providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement," said ACS Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS.
This news release was written by and originally published on the website of the Durham VA Health Care System on December 19, 2024. Read the full news release on the Durham VA website.