image: Offering more than 30 self-directed training modules and access to a portfolio of tools, resources, expert mentoring and guidance opportunities, and a strong networking platform, the new AGS CoCare: Ortho site (http://ortho.agscocare.org/) will help geriatrics-orthopedics leaders learn to identify and reduce the risks for everything from falls and delirium to infections and increased mortality for hip fracture patients. view more
Credit: (C) 2018, American Geriatrics Society
With support from The John A. Hartford Foundation, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today launched ortho.agscocare.org, a site providing resources and tools for hospitals interested in implementing the AGS CoCare: Ortho model. By helping health systems integrate geriatric and orthopedic expertise as soon as possible, AGS CoCare: Ortho seeks to improve care and lower health costs for the 260,000 older adults hospitalized annually with hip fractures. Offering more than 30 self-directed training modules and access to a portfolio of tools, resources, expert mentoring and guidance opportunities, and a strong networking platform, the new AGS CoCare: Ortho site will help geriatrics-orthopedics leaders learn to identify and reduce the risks for everything from falls and delirium to infections and increased mortality for hip fracture patients.
"The new AGS CoCare: Ortho site is the first of its kind to offer digital, self-directed access to geriatrics co-management expertise while also affording partners contact with co-management leaders and innovators anytime, anywhere," said Richard Besdine, MD, AGS CoCare: Ortho Senior Medical Advisor and Professor of Medicine and of Health Care Policy and Practice, Director of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Director of the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Alpert Medical School and the School of Public Health of Brown University.
"Dozens of learning modules and tools will let individual health systems customize their co-management approach, while our online community will offer a secure forum for seeking support from the AGS CoCare: Ortho expert team and fellow adopters of the program," added Daniel Mendelson, MD, FACP, CMD, AGSF, AGS CoCare: Ortho Lead Medical Director and Konar Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, and Associate Chief of Medicine, Highland Hospital.
Fueled by evidence-based learning and a proven record of reducing hospital lengths of stay, re-admissions, and most other complications, platforms like AGS CoCare: Ortho are poised to increase the chances for improved function and independence following treatment for hip fractures, the third most costly diagnosis in the U.S., with spending that can exceed $18 billion annually. The curriculum included on the AGS CoCare: Ortho site not only introduces the co- management model as a foundation for geriatrics co-management training but also provides issue-specific guidance on critical concerns like the management of hip-fractures immediately before, during, and after surgery (also known as "perioperative" care) and discharge planning. Opportunities for continuing medical education, in-person and remote strategy sessions with program planners, and access to expert presentations, patient paperwork, and case studies will help AGS CoCare: Ortho subscribers simplify, standardize, and expedite AGS CoCare: Ortho implementation at hospitals across the U.S. health systems.
Six early adopter hospitals in Calif., N.Y., N.C., Pa., and R.I. are among the first to license the AGS CoCare: Ortho program and the first to leverage the many ortho.agscocare.org resources.
"We know that hip fractures can lead to a cascade of devastating effects for older adults, and we know that integrating geriatrics expertise through co-management can dramatically reduce that risk. With this AGS program, we now have a platform to rapidly scale a proven care model that will help our health systems become more age-friendly and improve the lives of vast numbers of older adults," explains Terry R. Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, AGSF, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation.
Added Nancy E. Lundeberg, MPA, AGS CEO: "Proactive health systems know that health care's future requires bold approaches that value older adults, address their unique needs, and provide the best care and support possible. Our joint investment and partnership with The John A. Hartford Foundation will lead to a new health enterprise to improve care quality and safety for older adults, accelerating co-managed care in other areas and bringing geriatrics and other medical specialties even closer together."
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For more information on licensing opportunities for AGS CoCare: Ortho, please contact Deena Sandos by email at CoCare.Ortho@americangeriatrics.org or by phone at (212)-308-1414.
About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has--for 75 years--worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.
About The John A. Hartford Foundation
The John A. Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is a private, nonpartisan, national philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. For more than three decades, the organization has been the leader in building a field of experts in aging and testing and replicating innovative approaches to care. The Foundation has three areas of emphasis: creating age-friendly health systems, supporting family caregivers, and improving serious illness and end-of-life care. Working with its grantees, the Foundation strives to change the status quo and create a society where older adults can continue their vital contributions. For more information, visit johnahartford.org and follow @johnahartford.