As the population ages, it is imperative that we adapt our health-care system in a way that improves the delivery of care to all of our patients, especially the elderly population. Geriatric emergency departments (EDs) are traditional EDs with an enhanced, but not exclusive, focus on the special needs of older adults. They incorporate staff education, enhanced processes (e.g., screenings), improved and often inexpensive structures for older adults, and community connections with the leadership of a geriatric-focused physician and nurse champions. Initial data from geriatric EDs demonstrate decreased admissions, ED revisits, and enhanced patient satisfaction with Geriatric ED processes. The Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative (GEDC) is a learning collaborative to share best practices in geriatric emergency medicine. There is also the Geriatric ED Accreditation (GEDA) program that standardizes tiered expectations for geriatric EDs and grants recognition to EDs that achieve those standards.

Provides a definition of a Geriatric Emergency Department: a regular general ED that has made the decision to intentionally implement changes in its people, processes, and place in order to improve the quality of care it provides to older patient. Reviews the principal motivations for a Geriatric ED: shifting demographics and a favorable business case for the hospital. Presents the basics of the business case with a return-on-investment consideration, demonstrating several sample scripts for talking to senior executives. Suggests the importance of involving frontline staff to establish the ground truth in your ED.