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Senior Emergency Center First in Cincinnati Area to Earn Accreditation

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (October 25, 2019) – The Senior Emergency Center at Atrium Medical Center has received accreditation from The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

With the bronze standard Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA), Atrium is the first hospital in the Cincinnati area and one of only five hospitals in Ohio to achieve a GEDA honor.

The Senior Emergency Center was developed by emergency medicine leaders to provide patients with well-coordinated, quality care at the appropriate level during every emergency room encounter.

The Senior Emergency Center opened in April 2017, offering an emergency department designed specifically for an anticipated increase in the senior citizen population in Butler and Warren counties.

The center provides a complete continuum of care for the growing senior community, working to understand the full spectrum of a senior’s health care needs and creating a plan to meet them in the hospital and at home, said Missy Fink, BSN, RN, CEN, Senior Emergency Center program team leader.

The center is designed to help seniors and their families feel more comfortable while the patient receives care. Its rooms feature senior-friendly amenities such as fall monitors, additional railings, non-skid floors, soothing colors, and reduced noise levels. The center staff is specially trained in listening, assessing, and addressing the needs of older adults.

The accreditation process took four months and included a panel review by a team of ACEP-appointed physician reviewers and then a board of governors’ review. The GEDA provides a set of guidelines for staffing, equipment, education, policies and procedures, follow-up care, and performance improvement measures.

The response from patients and families who have experienced the Senior Emergency Center has been “overwhelmingly positive” and reflected in patient satisfaction scores, said David Romano, MD, medical director, Senior Emergency Center.

The center has worked as envisioned, seeing 5,000 to 6,000 patients each year, Dr. Romano said. “Atrium and Premier Health are ready and very much want to serve the community by creating this specialty care emergency department unit. We are ready, willing, and very able,” he said.

“By offering unprecedented services like the Senior Emergency Center, Atrium Medical Center is leading specialized care for older adults in Southwest Ohio,” said Keith Bricking, MD, president of Atrium Medical Center.

“The specially-trained Senior Emergency Center team at Atrium is not only improving outcomes for seniors during a medical crisis, but they are also helping to reduce readmission rates with a continuum of care that includes follow-up monitoring and coordination,” Dr. Bricking said.

For more information on the Senior Emergency Center and Atrium Medical Center, visit https://www.atriummedcenter.org/Emergency-and-Trauma/Emergency-Services/.

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