Northwell Health GEDA Case Study: Goals of Care, Throughput, Clinical Outcomes

Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider, has made it a strategic system goal to provide age-friendly care. Northwell Health has 18 emergency departments (ED), one pediatric and 17 that treat more than 850,000 patients of all ages, 33% of them 65 and older. Northwell Health’s commitment to improving care for older adults led them on a journey toward system-wide geriatric emergency department accreditation (GEDA) process through the American College of Emergency Physicians.

This clinician-led project was inspired by people like Dr. Teresa Amato’s grandmother. Dr. Amato is the Director of Geriatric Emergency Medicine for Northwell Health, who, after witnessing her grandmother in the ED be restrained and sedated for delirium, dedicated her career to improving care for older adults. Each of these 17 EDs now provides patient-centered geriatric care in their GEDA sites. One such example is Glen Cove Hospital whose initiative to increase goals of care conversations in the ED led to a reduction of hospital length of stay by more than 5 days by prioritizing what matters most to patients as well as a safe and efficient discharge. The support of this program goes beyond the walls of the ED, including the CEO Michael Dowling who states

Caring for our elders is an honor that Northwell Health takes seriously. By earning GED accreditation in all of our EDs, we are displaying to our community that Northwell is committed to the care of older adults.

Michael Dowling
CEO of Northwell Health