To achieve GSV, hospitals must demonstrate that 6 GSV Program standards are in place across surgery for eligible surgical patients aged 65 years and older. This level aligns with the requirements of the new structural measure, Age Friendly Hospital Measure, which will be mandatory to report for The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program. A virtual site visit will confirm the hospital complies with the required structure, processes, and standards of care. Verified hospitals will receive formal, public recognition.
Hospitals seeking a Level 1- or Level 2-verified status must demonstrate all 30 GSV Program standards are in place to provide optimal resources for the surgical care of older adult patients. A site visit, conducted either on-site or virtually, will confirm the hospital complies with the required structure, processes, and standards of care. This comprehensive assessment must be positively completed before a hospital is eligible for a GSV Level acknowledgment. Verified hospitals will receive formal, public recognition at the granted GSV Level.
Hospitals have the flexibility to implement the GSV Program standards across one specialty or in multiple specialties depending on the hospital’s profile and the population requirements of the desired Level.
To achieve a GSV Level 1 – Comprehensive Excellence status, the GSV Program standards are verified across one or more surgical specialties and must reach 50 percent or more of the hospital’s total population of eligible surgical patients aged 75 years or older.
To achieve a GSV Level 2 – Focused Excellence status, the GSV Program standards are verified across one or more surgical specialties and must reach between 25 and 49 percent of the hospital’s total population of eligible surgical patients aged 75 years or older.
Hospitals pledging to improve geriatric surgical care and working toward implementing the GSV Program standards are encouraged to enroll at the GSV Commitment Level. Hospitals in this participation level will have access to implementation resource materials, guidance documents, leading geriatric experts, and GSV Program staff aimed at supporting hospitals rolling out the GSV standards. The GSV Commitment Level hospitals will be guided by a self-paced curriculum that can be modified to meet each hospital’s requirements. Although no site visit or verification of the standards will be performed at the commitment level, hospitals are expected to be actively preparing for verification for up to a maximum of 24 months. At the conclusion of this 24-month period, Commitment Level hospitals are expected to reapply for either Level 1 or Level 2 Verification status. The GSV Commitment Level hospitals will receive formal recognition of their commitment to high-quality geriatric surgical care.