Kaiser San Jose Emergency Dept. earns high-level senior care nod

Kaiser Permanente San Jose’s Emergency Department recently became nationally accredited by the American College of Emergency Physicians for providing high-quality care to geriatric patients.

Kaiser Permanente San Jose’s emergency department received the bronze level of accreditation, which will remain in place for the next three years. Emergency departments earning this level have elevated the level of care seniors receive by having geriatric specialists on staff, access to mobility aids for seniors and implementing other geriatric policies and procedures.

Kaiser Permanente Redwood City’s emergency department received the same accreditation last year.

The Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation Program was developed to ensure older patients receive well-coordinated, quality care at every emergency department encounter. With the world’s population aging and people living longer than ever before, more seniors are now visiting emergency departments at a higher rate than non-seniors.

Leaders of Kaiser Permanente San Jose’s Emergency Department recognize the need to provide a higher level of care to their geriatric patients. Currently more than 26% of patient visits to the San Jose emergency department are people over 65, which is higher than the national average.

“With thousands of baby boomers turning 65 every day, we recognize the importance of making sure we provide the high-quality care they deserve,” said Efren Rosas, MD, physician in chief of the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. “By 2030, seniors will make up 30% of the population and with this accreditation Kaiser Permanente San Jose’s emergency department has the standards in place to meet their needs and care for them.”

Kaiser Permanente San Jose’s emergency department focused on treating and preventing senior falls to earn its bronze level accreditation. A specialized team screens older patients to determine if they’re at further risk of injury due to falling and what may be causing the problem. The staff checks the patient’s medication to see if it may cause dizziness or fainting, and also determines if the patient needs a cane or walker to help them better navigate their time in the emergency department and later, at home.

“When an elderly patient comes in with an injury from a fall, we want to look more closely at what caused the fall and determine how we can prevent other falls from happening,” said Dominica DeAngelo, MSN, RN, a nurse manager in the Kaiser Permanente San Jose emergency department who led the geriatric accreditation effort. “Seniors will often say, ‘oh it was just a fall,’ but our screening assessments help determine whether there was an underlying reason for the fall, and what changes can be made to keep them safe and healthy.”

Physicians in the emergency department helped develop the protocols and procedures for enhanced care of senior patients.

“We’re all getting a little older,” said Hien Nguyen, MD, Kaiser Permanente San Jose Emergency Medicine champion for the accreditation project. “We recognize the importance of making sure all of our elderly patients at Kaiser Permanente San Jose receive high-quality, coordinated care.”